The United States took a decisive step on Monday, imposing visa restrictions on around 300 Guatemalan individuals, citing their involvement in what was termed “anti-democratic actions” and a hindrance to the election victory of President-elect Bernardo Arévalo.
This announcement, coming from the US Department of State, explicitly targeted “over 100 members of the Guatemalan congress, along with private sector figures and their families.”
These restrictions were implemented due to accusations of undermining democracy and the rule of law, as per the State Department’s statement.
The tension emerged following Arévalo’s decisive triumph earlier in the year. Subsequently, members of the Congress and the country’s Public Ministry, led by Attorney General Consuelo Porras, faced allegations of attempting to nullify the election results.
Raids on electoral authority offices, arrest warrants, and a bid to strip Arévalo’s presidential immunity were part of these controversial actions.
The Ministry accused Arévalo, known for his anti-corruption stance, of financial wrongdoing and the alleged use of false documents in forming his party, the Semilla Movement.
In response, Arévalo termed these moves by the Ministry as an attempted “coup d’état,” defending his party against the slew of accusations.
The latest visa restrictions by the US State Department follow earlier actions by Guatemala’s Congress, which granted the Public Ministry’s request to strip immunity from four of the five Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) judges – the body responsible for validating election outcomes.
These developments have triggered international criticism and sparked significant protests in Guatemala, the largest nation in Central America.
The US State Department highlighted the move to annul Arévalo’s immunity, coupled with the Public Ministry’s pursuit of arrest warrants for electoral workers and party representatives, as indicative of a deliberate effort to undermine Guatemala’s free and fair elections and obstruct the peaceful transition of power.