Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Ar\u00e9valo\u2019s imminent inauguration and the unrelenting pursuit of him and his party by the attorney general are recurring topics over dinner tables in this country, reflecting a political awakening in a population weary of corruption and impunity.<\/p>\n
Despite Ar\u00e9valo\u2019s wide margin of victory in elections certified by Guatemalan authorities and declared fair by international observers, he has been a target of prosecutors since his surprise second-place showing in June\u2019s first round of voting. His anti-corruption stance and outsider status are threats to deep-rooted interests in the Central American country, observers say.<\/p>\n
For many Guatemalans, Sunday\u2019s inauguration represents not only the culmination of Ar\u00e9valo\u2019s victory at the polls but also their successful defense of the country\u2019s democracy. Walter Cruz, a 55-year-old businessman from Guatemala City, said that at his family\u2019s Christmas dinner, they discussed what the new year would bring and expressed concern over rising crime and the economy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we hoped for was that the inauguration would happen without any problems, that it would be a good administration that benefits everyone as a country,\u201d Cruz said. \u201cI feel like the country\u2019s development has stagnated.\u201d The election drama and protests have awakened many Guatemalans politically, said Stephanie Rodr\u00edguez, a lawyer in the capital. \u201cI believe there is a process of politization in families,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are people who don\u2019t consider themselves supporters of a specific political party, but who have been drawn into the streets by the issue of the elections. It seems like something new to me.\u201d That Ar\u00e9valo has made it to within a day of his inauguration is largely owed to thousands of Guatemala\u2019s Indigenous peoples who took to the streets last year to protest and demand that Attorney General Consuelo Porras and her prosecutors respect the Aug. 20 vote.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors have sought to suspend Ar\u00e9valo\u2019s Seed Movement party and strip Ar\u00e9valo of his immunity three times. On Friday his vice president Karin Herrera announced that the Constitutional Court had granted her an injunction, heading off a supposed arrest order. Prosecutors have alleged wrongdoing in the way the Seed Movement collected signatures to register as a party years earlier, that its leaders encouraged a monthlong occupation of a public university, and that there was fraud in the election.<\/p>\n
Guatemalan sociologist Vaclav Masek said that \u201cthe decision of the Indigenous peoples to mobilize to avoid that a criminal group advance or orchestrate a coup d\u2019etat in the country was made not to defend Ar\u00e9valo, but rather to defend the democracy, to defend the right to vote, elect and be elected.\u201d \u201cThey were the protagonists of transformational social change,\u201d Masek said.<\/p>\n
Another factor that appeared to keep Ar\u00e9valo\u2019s inauguration on track was the early and strong support from the international community. The European Union, Organization of American States and the United States government repeatedly demanded respect for the popular vote.<\/p>\n
The U.S. government has gone further, sanctioning Guatemalan officials and private citizens suspected of undermining the country\u2019s democracy. On Thursday, U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere, Brian A. Nichols, said the U.S. government would continue identifying and holding accountable those who tried to undermine Guatemala\u2019s democracy.<\/p>\n
Masek said the international community has played an important role in what \u201cwe call the defense of democracy.\u201d \u201cThe diplomatic sanctions were an important deterrent and I believe they mark a watershed in the way that Guatemala is seen at a geopolitical level,\u201d he said. He noted that the aggression toward Ar\u00e9valo will not likely stop with his inauguration. Porras\u2019 term as attorney general extends to 2026.<\/p>\n
Ar\u00e9valo is a 65-year-old academic and diplomat who had worked for years in international conflict resolution before launching a political career. He was not even polling among the top five contenders going into the first round of voting in June. He ran on a platform of resuming the fight against corruption, something Guatemala had made strides in. Under Porras, the country\u2019s prosecutors and judges who led that effort have become targets, forcing dozens to flee the country or be arrested.<\/p>\n
Ar\u00e9valo is the son of former President Juan Jos\u00e9 Ar\u00e9valo Bermejo who implemented important social reforms in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The younger Ar\u00e9valo founded the left-leaning and youthful Seed Movement party that carried him to victory. Luisa Godoy, a health worker, said she didn\u2019t have high expectations for Ar\u00e9valo\u2019s administration, but hoped he would carry out what he promised during the campaign.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s clear to me that the change isn\u2019t going to be immediate, but there (should be) more investment in health, in education, in the environment which is in ruins, more work opportunities and improvements to infrastructure,\u201d Godoy said. \u201cI don\u2019t claim that we\u2019re going to be an advanced country one day to the next with this new administration, but (they should) take steps so that it could succeed and we become a prosperous country.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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