The Organization of American States (OAS) issued a statement condemning the decision of the Public Ministry (Prosecutor’s Office) of Guatemala to try to annul the elections in which Bernardo Arévalo won. The Ministry argues that alleged administrative irregularities of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal were found.
This Friday, prosecutor Leonor Morales said during a press conference that anomalies were found “in the drafting of the final minutes of the closing of scrutiny,” which leads to the “full annulment” of the elections doe president, vice president, deputies, corporations and deputies to Parlacen (Central American Parliament).” According to Morales, an investigation was carried out that concluded that the formats used in the electoral records were not those approved by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
La fiscal de FECI, Leonor Morales Lazo, asegura que no se utilizaron los formatos que el TSE estableció en los documentos de las actas 4 y de esa cuenta todos los resultados de las elecciones generales 2023 son “nulos”.
📸: Diego España/LH pic.twitter.com/auLybO9Bkx
— Diario La Hora (@lahoragt) December 8, 2023
The OAS condemns the “coup attempt”
Shortly after the decision of the Guatemalan Prosecutor’s Office was announced, the OAS published a statement condemning the actions of the Public Ministry and calling them an “attempted coup d'état.”
In the statement, the OAS highlighted that the actions of prosecutors Rafael Curruchiche and Leonor Morales “constitute an alteration of the constitutional order, a breach of the rule of law and a violation of the human rights of the Guatemalan population.”
“We call on President Alejandro Giammattei, the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court of Justice and Congress to defend the institutions and constitutional order of the country by taking action against the perpetrators of this attack in order to preserve Democracy in Guatemala,” says the statement.
Secretaria General de la OEA condena intento de golpe en Guatemalahttps://t.co/riJMCvYfki pic.twitter.com/N3INhg5OQS
— Luis Almagro (@Almagro_OEA2015) December 8, 2023
Arévalo warned of the Prosecutor's Office's intentions
Bernardo Arévalo had already denounced in September that the Public Ministry, led by Attorney General Consuelo Porras, was preparing a “coup d'état in slow motion” to prevent him from taking office on January 14 as planned.
