Guatemala's president-elect says he's ready to call people onto the streets

BY SONIA PÉREZ D.
Updated 2:42 PM CDT, September 15, 2023

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — President-elect Bernardo Arévalo plans to call Guatemalans into the streets next week to protest efforts to derail his presidency before he can take office, he said Friday in an interview with The Associated Press.

It would be Arévalo’s first such request since winning the election Aug. 20. Since his landslide victory, the attorney general’s office has continued pursuing multiple investigations related to the registration of Arévalo’s Seed Movement party, and alleged fraud in the election. International observers have said that is not supported by evidence.

Arévalo said he has tried his own legal maneuvers to stop those who want to keep him from power, but now it’s necessary for the people to come out to the streets to support him. He said he wants to see businesspeople, farmers, Indigenous groups, and workers all come out to reject what has been happening.

It wouldn’t be the protest of one party, or oneself, against the system, but rather of “a people that feels cheated, against a system that is trying to mock them,” Arévalo said.

More:
https://apnews.com/article/guatemala-election-bernardo-arevalo-7e60789e52b1ececeb674740e5fd5798