The president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, spoke this Tuesday with the elected president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de Leónand conveyed the concern of the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay) about the “judicialization” of the elections in that Central American nation.
Peña, who holds the rotating presidency of Mercosur, spoke on his account on the social network the investiture of Arévalo de León.
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“I spoke with @BArevalodeLeon, winner of the elections in the Republic of Guatemala. From the States Parties of MERCOSUR we see with concern the judicialization of the electoral process of this brother country”indicated the Paraguayan president in his message.
Talk with @BArevalodeLeon , winner of the elections in the Republic of Guatemala. From the States Parties of MERCOSUR we see with concern the judicialization of the electoral process of this brother country.
— James Peña (@SantiPenap) December 12, 2023
Judicialization of the electoral process in Guatemala
This Tuesday, Mercosur expressed in a note its concern about “judicialization” of the electoral process in Guatemala and urged “to respect the will of the people expressed at the polls with a resounding majority”in the second round of the presidential elections on August 20.
In this sense, he urged the authorities of the Central American country to take “all necessary measures” to guarantee a presidential transition process “harmonic” that ensures the investiture of “the legitimately elected authorities.”
The Public Ministry of Guatemala assured last Friday that the elections won by Arévalo de León are not valid due to alleged administrative irregularities of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
The alleged invalidation of the results was exposed by prosecutor Leonor Morales in a press conference, in which she said that the presidential, legislative and municipal elections must be annulled.
On Saturday, the Government of Paraguay spoke out on the situation in Guatemala and “strongly rejected any attempt to undermine democracy and the rule of law through arbitrary measures.”
“We urge all sectors to respect the sovereign will of the Guatemalan people expressed at the polls”The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Asunción added in a statement.
