Weekly The Generation, Year 1, Issue 15
December 12, 2023
The US government announced measures on Monday to punish what it has described as anti-democratic moves by officials including Guatemala’s top prosecutor that seek to annul the election won decisively by President-elect Bernardo Arevalo.
The latest measures imposed by Washington are visa restrictions on nearly 300 Guatemalan nationals, including 100 lawmakers out of the 160-member unicameral Congress, accused of undermining democracy in Central America’s most populous country.
The travel restrictions also target some private sector representatives and their family members.
Porras’ office also announced arrest warrants for Guatemalan electoral officials and party representatives following Arevalo’s landslide triumph in last August’s run-off election.
“The Guatemalan people have spoken. Their voices must be respected,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement.
Anti-corruption crusader Arevalo and his center-left Seed Movement party have faced a series of investigations from Porras’ office, which has alleged irregularities in the party’s registration several years ago.
The office of Guatemala’s outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei and congressional officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The US government’s so-called Engel list of corrupt and undemocratic actors already includes Porras, her senior aide Rafael Curruchiche, and Fredy Orellana, the judge who ordered the suspension of Arevalo’s center-left party after he garnered enough votes in June’s first-round vote to take part in the August run-off.
Source: Reuters, Washington/Guatemala City
