Guatemala Upheaval

For a second week, supporters of President-elect Bernardo Arevalo are protesting and demanding the resignation of Attorney General Consuelo Porras.  She is being accused of plotting to prevent the duly-elected Arevalo from taking office.  Arevalo has vowed to fight corruption.  On Monday, masked men hurled stones and shattered windows at a demonstration outside of the National Palace of Culture in Guatemala City.  Arevalo won the presidential election by a landslide in August.  However, just a few hours after his overwhelming victory, Movimiento Semilla, the political party he heads, was suspended by Guatemala’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal.  His party’s suspension is seen as an attempt to prevent Arevalo from assuming office in January when he is sworn in.

Earlier today, in a brief comment, Belize’s foreign minister Eamon Courtenay, wrote, “Belize is increasingly concerned by the developments in Guatemala.  We hope that the constitutional order will be respected and that the transition to the Arevalo administration will be peaceful”.