Guatemala: the EU approves sanctions on those who hinder the possession of Arévalo

First modification: 01/12/2024 – 20:18

5 min

Bernardo Arévalo is preparing to be sworn in as the new president of Guatemala in the midst of a climate of tension.

The political leader who easily won the elections last August He will take office next Sunday, January 14, in the midst of the continuous offensive from the judiciary that has tried to stop his arrival at the Executive.

In the midst of deep-rooted corruption and what many denounce as an attempt by the upper echelons of power in Guatemala to stop the emergence of a leader outside the political elite that has governed the country for years, the European Union is taking action.

This Friday, January 12, Brussels approved the legal framework with which it can impose sanctions on officials and entities that block the transfer of command.

“The EU maintains its firm and unequivocal support for democracy in Guatemala. The adoption of this (legal) framework is part of this commitment. It demonstrates that we stand with the people of Guatemala and against those who are undermining the country's democracy,” he said in a note from the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, who will attend Arévalo's inauguration.

The measures cover the prohibition of entry into the EU of individuals and companies that hinder the democratic process in the Central American nation, as well as the freezing of property and assets they have in the bloc of 27 countries.

The statement from European soil comes after the elected vice president, Karin Herrera Aguilar, faced the possibility of an arrest warrant from the Public Ministry that would have prevented her from taking office next Sunday.

The country's Prosecutor's Office had accused Herrera, last November, of allegedly inciting the protests, which occurred at the University of San Carlos in 2022.

However, on Thursday, January 11, the Constitutional Court, in response to a request for protection from Herrera, granted a protection order in which it ratified that she has immunity and warned that she cannot be arrested by any authority.

The measure represents a relief for what will be the Arévalo Administration, but it is not the only and, probably not the last, legal challenge that the new Government will face.

Chronicle of a judicial and political whirlwind

Although he had served as a deputy since 2020, Arévalo's rise to the Presidency was surprising from the first round of the elections, and even more so when he finally prevailed over the candidate of traditional politics and former first lady, Sandra Torres, the last August 20.

But since June 25, when he won his place in the second round, the judiciary activated a series of measures to stop his race towards the Presidency. Among them are the attempts to disqualify the party with which Arévalo went to the polls, the Semilla Movement, which led the social democratic leader to describe the actions as “a technical coup d'état.”

Then, the head of the Special Prosecutor's Office against Impunity (Feci), of the Public Ministry of Guatemala Rafael Curruchiche – also sanctioned by Washington since February 2023 for “obstructing investigations into acts of corruption” – requested the suspension of the Semilla Movement.

According to the prosecutor, among the thousands of signatures of party members there are allegedly 18 dead people and 319 people whose identification document does not correspond. An alleged fraud to reach the number of members necessary to register the party.

In addition, he pointed out that another 613 names are “non-existent, invented” and 184 identities would have been duplicated, which is why he indicated that he found 1,224 irregularities in total.

On July 12, Judge Freddy Orellana requested the suspension of the political party. However, at that time the Constitutional Court of Guatemala protected the political group and blocked the controversial sanction.

Although Arévalo finally entered the race, the conflictive situation was far from over.

On August 17, just three days before the second round of elections, Curruchiche warned that he did not rule out raids and arrest warrants against leaders of the Semilla Movement, after the second round of voting, something that he has been carrying out in recent months. .

On September 30, amidst pushing and insults, members of the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity (Feci) of Guatemala removed the minutes of this year's presidential elections from the headquarters of the Electoral Tribunal.

Although magistrates and other workers from the electoral body made a human fence, while they stood at the entrance of the building to try to prevent what they described as the “kidnapping” of the documents, all their efforts were fruitless, after a raid that lasted more than 20 hours.

Despite the efforts of Arévalo and his political circle to avoid obstacles, the threats from some officials do not stop. This week, Judge Orellana asked the country's Supreme Electoral Court to “immediately” comply with the suspension order of the Semilla Movement. This magistrate insists on suspending the legal personality of the formation of the elected president due to alleged irregularities at the time of its formation.

Arévalo has promised a frontal fight against his country's endemic corruption, while at the same time trying to keep his own governance afloat.

With EFE and local media