Washington (EFE).- The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, demanded that the Public Ministry (Prosecutor’s Office) of Guatemala stop judicially pursuing the Semilla Movement of the elected president, Bernardo Arévalo de León.
“The complaints expressed by the Public Ministry are without clarity and without legal classification, they are clearly persecutory of a political party. The persecution against the Semilla party must stop,” he stated in front of the organization’s Permanent Council.
Almagro addressed the OAS to present a report on his recent visit to Guatemala. Where he met with Arévalo de León and with representatives of the Public Ministry, who carried out an unprecedented persecution against the Semilla Movement, which was suspended.
Before the representatives of the American continent, Almagro revealed some unpublished details about his meeting with the Public Ministry.
Almagro’s visit to Guatemala
Specifically, he explained that the members of the Public Ministry made some “very illustrative” presentations that were “impregnated with negativity” and that have the potential to truncate the process of transferring power from the current president of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei, to Arévalo de León. .
Almagro was in Guatemala between September 4 and 6 and again on the 11 and 12 of this month. His visits were aimed at monitoring the transition process.
However, Arévalo de León announced on September 12 that he was breaking off dialogue with the Giammattei Government. And he suspended the transfer process after the Public Ministry gave orders to search two headquarters of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and review boxes containing votes.
In addition, Arévalo de León has asked for the resignation of Attorney General Consuelo Porras, sanctioned by the United States for corruption and undermining democracy. As well as the prosecutor who requested the raids, Rafael Curruchiche, and the criminal judge who authorized them, Fredy Orellana.
The transition process
Almagro was very critical of the actions of all these actors, although he did not mention them by name. Specifically, he spoke of “intimidation,” denounced a transition process full of “political aggression” and considered that his actions seek to “mock the popular will,” without respecting what was expressed at the polls.
“We request that nothing and no one tarnish this transition process, that it be carried out in peace and calm, like the demonstrations that are currently taking place in Guatemala, which are demonstrations with civic responsibility, which are demonstrations. with a commitment of the people to democracy,” he said.
“This respect for the Constitution, for democracy, for civility, must be that of all State institutions, including the Public Ministry,” he continued.
Almagro added that the OAS will remain involved in Guatemala’s transition process until January 14, 2024. When Arévalo de León should take office along with the vice president-elect, Karin Herrera.
Arévalo de León, whose main promise is to eradicate corruption from the State, won the Presidency for the period 2024-2028 in the second electoral round on August 20 with 2.5 million votes in his favor and surpassing by 21 percentage points his rival, former first lady Sandra Torres Casanova, of the National Unity of Hope (UNE).
Torres Casanova still does not recognize his defeat and has raised the specter of electoral fraud. Something that the OAS Electoral Observation Mission that was present during the process completely rejects.
For its part, the Giammattei Government has reiterated on several occasions that it is committed to the transition process and will hand over power to Arévalo de León on January 14.
The Foreign Minister of Guatemala, Mario Búcaro, once again conveyed Giammattei’s wish to all OAS member states. And he expressed his commitment to working so that “social peace prevails” in the Central American country.
