Body search and seizure of documents at the Supreme Electoral Court amid criticism from the USA
The Guatemalan Ministry of State seized minutes containing voting information in the elections held in June as part of a search and seizure operation at the country’s Supreme Electoral Court. The promotion started on Friday (September 29, 2023) at around 8 a.m. (Brasília time) and ended on Saturday (September 30, 2023) at 5 a.m. (Brasília time).
The Presidentelect, Bernardo Arévalo, specified that the MP’s actions amount to a “prolonged coup” to prevent him from assuming the presidency of Guatemala on January 14.
“The Guatemalan Public Prosecutor’s Office continually and systematically violates the Guatemalan legal system. “The images we saw today, of judges being attacked and the will of the people being hijacked, are an example of the violence that the coup plotters are perpetrating against the people,” explained Arevalo.
In a statement to reporters, Judge Gabriel Aguilera said the seized transcripts corresponded to the June elections, when Arévalo, then a candidate, “surprised” by advancing to the second round.
During the action, Judge Blanca Alfaro and other judges attempted to create a human barrier to prevent police officers from entering the agency’s headquarters. In a video published by the Guatemalan TSE on X (formerly Twitter), Alfaro can be seen falling during the confrontation with the police.
There was violence between agents during the hijacking of the election protocol @PNCdeGuatemala and the special inspection against impunity of @MPguatemala because their judges #TSEGuatemalain defense of the electoral regulations, refused to take minutes. pic.twitter.com/yT4sJsB1cm
— TSE Guatemala (@TSEGuatemala) September 30, 2023
The TSE judges tried to ask the MP to just scan the documents instead of seizing the minutes and even offered help with publication in the name of transparency, but prosecutors rejected the proposals.
In a statement released this Sunday (October 1), the US State Department said that the United States is “gravely concerned about ongoing efforts to undermine the peaceful transition of power in Guatemala.” It said the action was “antidemocratic behavior” that “undermines Guatemala’s democratic institutions and is contrary to the principles of the InterAmerican Democratic Charter.”
The U.S. diplomatic panel also said the country was taking steps to impose visa restrictions “against individuals who continue to undermine Guatemala’s democracy, including current and former members of Congress, judicial actors, and anyone else engaged in such conduct.”
“The Guatemalan people have spoken. His voice must be respected,” the State Department said.