On 30 October Guatemala’s President Bernardo Arévalo warned that “corrupt actors” led by the disgraced attorney general, María Consuelo Porras, were intent on destabilising his government.
Analysis:
President Arévalo’s comments come the day after Porras appealed to the supreme court (CSJ) to lift his presidential immunity for “dereliction of duty” in relation to the escape of 20 mara gang members from the Fraijanes II maximum security prison earlier this month. This followed what Arévalo described as “an attempted coup” by Judge Fredy Orellana, who sought unsuccessfully to persuade the supreme electoral tribunal (TSE) to annul the 2023 elections, removing Arévalo from power.
- Speaking during a press conference, Arévalo said that “the attempts to attack democracy are continuous”, adding that “they are desperate because time is running out for them…” This was an allusion to the fact that Porras’ term ends in May 2026 when Arévalo will be able to choose her replacement and she could find herself on trial for her key role in the ‘pacto de corruptos’ corruption network for which both she and Orellana have been blacklisted by the US and other countries.
- Arévalo said there was “a network of shadowy interests seeking to obstruct the actions of this government” driven by those “who do not want corruption to end”. But he praised the constitutional court (CC) for issuing a resolution on 29 October annulling Orellana’s order to the TSE, and warning the judge that further attempts in the same vein would constitute “breach of duty”. The CSJ is now looking into the case to determine whether Orellana could be dismissed.
- Meanwhile, the permanent council of the Organization of American States (OAS) held an extraordinary session to discuss the “serious threats to constitutional and democratic order in Guatemala” yesterday. Guatemala’s foreign minister, Carlos Ramiro Martínez, denounced the “lawfare” being waged against the government by “the attorney general’s office and co-opted judges”, with a succession of “arbitrary and illegitimate actions in recent days”.
Looking Ahead: The OAS will vote on a resolution on 5 November to reaffirm the commitment of member states to the preservation of the constitutional and democratic order in Guatemala. The secretary general, Albert Ramdin, said that any attempt to undermine Arévalo’s mandate would not only affect Guatemala’s stability but also the democratic values collectively upheld in the hemisphere.
