Guatemala's highest court affirms that the president-elect's party is suspended

The Constitutional Court of Guatemala, the country's highest court, ruled this Sunday that the Semilla Movement party, of the elected president, Bernardo Arévalo de León, is suspended.

(In context: Will Bernardo Arévalo be able to assume the presidency of Guatemala this Sunday?)

The decision, confirmed by several sources, leaves without the possibility for the Semilla Movement to be part of the board of directors of Congress for the period 2024-2025.

Likewise, the ruling establishes that the 23 deputies of the Arévalo de León political group must be independent for the period 2024-2028, without a political party, despite the fact that in 2023, the same court had already ordered that all elected officials In the elections of the previous year they took office as they were elected.

(You can read: President Petro on Guatemala: 'There are forces threatening a coup d'état')

The suspension stems from a criminal order dated July 12, issued by Judge Fredy Orellana, accused by the United States Department of State of undermining justice and corruption.

The criminal case in charge of Orellana is due to an alleged case of false signatures in the founding of the Semilla Movement in 2018.

Since Arévalo de León obtained second place in the June 2023 presidential elections, the Public Ministry (Prosecutor's Office) of Guatemala began a judicial persecution to prevent the 64-year-old academic from taking office, as did the deputies of the Movement Seed.

(Keep reading: The IACHR warns of an 'imminent breakdown of the constitutional order' in Guatemala)

The Guatemalan Congress suspended Arévalo de León's party in August, but this decision caused the president of the Legislative Body, Shirley Rivera, to later also be sanctioned by the United States.

The last 1st. of September, Arévalo de León accused Attorney General Consuelo Porras and criminal judge Orellana of attempting a “coup d'état” to prevent him from taking office on January 14..

(You can read: President Petro: 'We are facing a coup d'état in Guatemala')

Porras' judicial actions have caused massive protests and road blockades by the population to demand his resignation since October and Arévalo de León has warned that starting tomorrow he will ask him to resign.

In the midst of the tension, Arevalo assured this Sunday that he will be sworn in as president of Guatemala, as ordered by law. The elected president must be sworn in this Sunday for a period of four years, replacing the current president, Alejandro Giammattei.

President Gustavo Petro speaks out

Through his account on its board of directors, which is the one that has to take over President Bernardo Arévalo.

And he added: “The prosecution, as in Peru, as in Colombia, has had an adverse attitude towards the presidency and has even tried to imprison the vice president elected by the people.”

Finally, the president warned that the Colombian Minister of Defense, Iván Velásquez, who in the past was head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, “still cannot enter this country (Guatemala).”

EFE