WASHINGTON.- The Organization of American States (OAS) on Tuesday strongly condemned the “actions” that threaten the change of government in Guatemala and adopted measures under Article 18 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
This article, adopted in 2001, authorizes the OAS to promote democratic principles in the states of the region and, in this context, allows visits and efforts to analyze the situation in a country concerned, provided it has the consent of the relevant government.
In a meeting of the Permanent Council, the Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, expressed concern about the “threats to the public service” that, in his opinion, have turned the Public Prosecutor's Office into an instrument of political losers who seek to blame the Supreme Electoral Court, which is affecting the political transition in Guatemala.
Guatemalan prosecutors have prevented the inauguration of President-elect Bernardo Arévalo by declaring “null” the elections won by the Social Democratic candidate, even though the Supreme Electoral Court had confirmed this. Faced with this situation, the OAS adopted a condemning resolution with 29 votes in favor, one against (Guatemala), the abstention of El Salvador and the absence of Haiti.
Guatemala expressed its opposition to this resolution, arguing that the activation of Article 18 led to this decision. The OAS is concerned about the situation in Guatemala and is therefore seeking to open a diplomatic channel that will allow directly and consensually addressing the current challenges in the democratic transition process in the Central American country.
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SPRING: With information from AFP