The Organization of American States (OAS) called on the Guatemalan authorities to guarantee that the government transition process continues peacefully and that it is not affected by any requirements or claims to the elected government of Bernardo Arévalo de León.
In a statement published this Wednesday, the Mediation Mission of the OAS General Secretariat in Guatemala condemned “any act that threatens the integrity of the electoral process, its results and the transition process, which will conclude on January 14, 2024, when the president-elect Bernardo Arévalo and the vice president-elect Karin Herrera will assume their positions.”
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The OAS stated that today “a climate of tension and reproaches takes over the political situation of the country” and that while social tension “it was giving way in the last few days” With the relaxation of road closures, it has been “radicalized” the position of some State bodies.
Dismissal of the Minister of the Interior
The organization thus referred to the decision of the Public Ministry (Prosecutor’s Office) of Guatemala, which requested last Monday the dismissal of the Minister of the Interior (Interior), David Barrientos, for not using public force to release the road blockades that have been maintained. for 15 days in the Central American country.
The petition was delivered to the Constitutional Court, Guatemala’s highest court, by the Prosecutor’s Office led by Consuelo Porras, who assures that Minister Barrientos fell into “disobedience” for not complying with an order from this court to clear the blockages that persist on the roads.
The blockades began on October 2 at the national level to request the dismissal of Porras, who is accused of seeking to reverse the electoral results of the Central American country so that the progressive Arévalo de León does not assume the Presidency in 2024.
The OAS today supported the decision of Barrientos, who maintained “a peaceful and prudent attitude that, in addition, has yielded excellent results in practice, without confrontations or violence.”
“Legitimate is to protest, legitimate is to question, legitimate is also to exercise authority, but no attitude that supports or fantasizes about violence is legitimate”stated the OAS.
Actions of the MP against the TSE
The OAS identified the actions that occurred at the end of September 2023 as triggers for the protests, when prosecutors from the Public Ministry forcefully broke into the headquarters of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and extracted sensitive electoral material.
“The indigenous authorities who lead the social protest have been emphatic in pointing out that they do not represent or allow the participation of any leader, party, or political movement. Therefore, accusations to involve the elected president, Bernardo Arévalo, or any other political leadership in these actions, are neither acceptable nor admissible.concluded the organization.
The Mission called on all political and social actors to assume “with absolute clarity and awareness” what “Any deviation or excess puts peace at risk and, with it, the right of all Guatemalans to choose their destiny.”
This mediation mission will continue its mandate “uninterruptedly in the country”closely monitoring the national situation and holding meetings with the main political and social actors.
