Guatemalans protest against ‘coup d’état’ alleged by president-elect

Guatemala City, Sep 2 (EFE).- Around 4,000 people demonstrated Saturday in Guatemala City what president-elect Bernardo Arévalo de León has called a “coup d’état” designed to block him from taking office next year.

Arévalo de León, a social democrat who surprisingly won the second round of the presidential election on Aug. 20 against former first lady Sandra Torres Casanova, has accused the Public Prosecutor’s Office of trying to prevent his inauguration in January.

The protest took place in the capital’s central square in front of the National Palace of Culture, the headquarters of the government presided over by Alejandro Giammattei.

The demonstrators called for the resignation of the Attorney General and head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Consuelo Porras.

The protest comes after Arevalo de Leon, warned on Friday that “a coup d’état” is being staged to prevent him from assuming the presidency on January 14.

At a press conference, Arévalo de León pointed to Porras as one of the main instigators of the “coup”, along with the prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche, the Board of Directors of Congress, a judge and “other corrupt actors”.

This week thee president-elect’s party, the Movimiento Semilla (Seed Movement) was suspended from parliament and by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal. Both cases were ordered by judge Fredy Orellana, at the request of the Public Ministry headed by Porras.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office on Saturday denied Arevalo de Leon’s allegations.

The investiture of presidential handover is scheduled for January 14, for a term of four years, the first social democratic government in Guatemala’s history. EFE

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