As planned, last Monday from 5:30 a.m. local time, the traditional organization and the population took to the streets in what they called a national strike for an indefinite period to reiterate the demand for the resignation of Attorney General Consuelo Porras.
At least 25 points also called for the resignation of the head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity, Rafael Curruchiche, prosecutor Cinthya Monterroso, judge Fredy Orellana and other actors linked to the prosecution against the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE).
Participants of the protest from the departments of Sololá and Quiché arrived at the headquarters of the Ministry of State (MP) because its officials “acted with abuse of power and enabled a coup plan staged on the basis of the pact of the corrupt,” they noted.
Amid the political crisis, teams appointed by the Guatemalan government and the country’s elected president Bernardo Arévalo resumed the transition process on Wednesday.
However, in a statement, the executive first stressed that this activity took place “in an atmosphere of optimism and trust” with the participation of Karin Herrera, the next vice president after the August 20 elections.
The number of road closures rose to 33 on Thursday for the fourth day in a row, and the president of the board of directors of the 48 cantons of Totonicapán, Luis Pacheco, warned that he hoped these measures “will not be even harsher.”
Arévalo defended the right to peaceful demonstration recognized in Magna Carga after returning to Guatemala from a trip to the United States.
“We hope that this right will be respected and that the relevant authorities will at all times favor dialogue and non-violent measures to resolve this situation of blockades,” emphasized the standard bearer of the Semilla movement.
Previously, a provisional protection issued by the Constitutional Court to the Coordination Committee of Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial and Financial Associations gave the government the green light to lift the blockades, even with the use of force if necessary.
Despite calls to channel the protests through “the appropriate legal channels,” the previous day the various groups kept more than 60 roads closed, including strategic roads such as those leading to the borders of Mexico, El Salvador and Honduras.
The Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare noted that there is a risk of shortages in the facility’s services if the situation of blockades continues at the national level.
Raids by the MP against the TSE sparked a wave of opposition in Guatemala as they were considered illegal and expressed a call to respect the popular will in the elections.
ro/znc