Guatemalan prosecutors requested this Friday the annulment of the presidential elections held last August and the withdrawal of the immunity of the elected president, Bernardo Arévalo.
According to their investigation, there were irregularities in the processing of the electoral results by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), as well as illegal acts in the formation of the Arévalo Semilla Movement party.
After hearing this news, the president of the TSE, Blanca Odilia Alfaro, maintained that this accusation does not alter the results that gave Arévalo the victory and that the presidential elections cannot be repeated.
At a press conference, prosecutors Leonor Morales and José Rafael Curruchiche presented initial results of an investigation into the TSE’s handling of electoral documentation and the alleged alteration of results in contracted software.
They considered that the electoral records used in the elections “are null and void” since “they were not authorized” from the beginning by the TSE.
Morales also spoke of alleged improper action by the winning party in the August 20 runoff.
“Semilla was never born through legal means because its constitution was through corrupt and illegal actions,” said the prosecutor, while Curruchiche stated that there were “seven findings of violation of electoral regulations” in terms of resource management.”
In response to prosecutors’ accusations, Arévalo stated in a press conference on Friday that they “lack any basis.”
“We are facing an absurd, ridiculous and perverse coup d’état. The coup plotters are kicking as if they were drowning. The last staggering blows of a coup d’état,” the president-elect said.
“Today they are exerting pressure and extortion against any official who opposes their illegal actions,” he added, ensuring that “the votes were counted in a clean, transparent and effective manner.”
Since his victory was declared, Arévalo and his party have denounced that the Public Ministry carries out unconstitutional actions to prevent the government from taking over on January 14, 2024.
“Coup attempt”
“At this moment (…) the deputies and the presidential duo are ready to take office on January 14. At the moment, There is no way that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal is going to repeat the elections“said the president of the TSE, Blanca Alfaro.
“The results are unalterable,” he added at a press conference.
For its part, the Organization of American States (OAS) said, on Friday, that he “condemns the attempt to coup by the Guatemalan Public Ministry.
“The actions and statements of prosecutors Rafael Curruchiche and Leonor Morales constitute an alteration of the country’s constitutional order, a breach of the rule of law and a violation of the human rights of the population of their country,” the OAS said in a statement.
“The attempt to annul this year’s general elections constitutes the worst form of democratic breakdown and the consolidation of a political fraud against the will of the people.”
On Saturday, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, spoke out about the situation.
“Friday’s announcements, which seek to annul the result of the general elections and question the constitution and existence of the Semilla Movement party They are extremely disturbing”, indicated the official through a statement.
He said that “judicial harassment and intimidation against electoral officials and elected officials” was unacceptable.
“Once again, I urge the competent authorities, including the current president, as well as the judiciary, to take measures to preserve the rule of law and guarantee respect for the electoral result and, therefore, the will of the majority of the Guatemalan people,” said Türk.
A call for “prudence”
The government of President Alejandro Giammattei issued a statement on Friday stating that it remained “respectful of the independence of State agencies and autonomous and decentralized institutions.”
He indicated that “he has been respectful of the results made official by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal” and that “strongly rejects hasty pronouncements of some actors in the international community regarding actions that, according to their statements, could represent an alteration of the constitutional order.”
“We call on the international community to exercise caution, before issuing statements that may generate internal polarization, also to verify the political will of the Government to comply with the transition and the transmission of presidential commandwhich has already begun and has the confirmation of the participation of some heads of state.”
The Executive pointed out that “in Guatemala there is no action that can prevent all elected authorities from taking office.”
What does the research say?
According to the results of the investigation presented by the prosecutors of the Public Ministry, the TSE made a purchase of software for the transmission of electoral data.
Morales indicated that this was “the object of sabotage”“, presumably international, which allowed the alteration of results. He also listed a series of alleged alterations of minutes by “alleged affiliates of the Semilla Movement.”
For this reason, he considered that the results are invalid.
Furthermore, in the constitution as a party of the Semilla Movement, which gave rise to its participation in this year’s presidential election and other previous ones, there were serious irregularities in the adhesion of citizens, prosecutors denounce.
“We can establish that the total number of illegalities in the adhesion forms amounts to 8,121,” said Morales, who pointed out that this number corresponds to 32% of the necessary registration for the constitution as a party.
The prosecutor announced that they would request the elimination of immunity that Arévalo and the vice president-elect, Karin Herrera, have.
In turn, prosecutor Curruchiche indicated that there are indications of money laundering, since “the party’s income does not match its expensesin addition to detecting improper contributions of financing.
The prosecutors also accused the TSE of not presenting the corresponding complaints, as well as for allegedly acting illegally in the custody of documents on the election results.
Arévalo won the August runoff against former first lady Sandra Torres.
Since then, the Public Ministry has carried out raids on offices of Arévalo’s party and the TSE in its effort to investigate the elections.
He has also requested the lifting of the immunity of deputies close to the president-elect.
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