The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, said on Friday that democracy in Guatemala “remains in danger” despite the fact that he finally assumed the presidency this year. the candidate who won at the polls, Bernardo Arévaloafter a serious pre- and post-electoral crisis.
Guatemala experienced one of the most devastating events in 2023 more tense electoral processes of its recent history, after the Public Ministry tried to invalidate the results of the elections, trying to prevent Arévalo from being sworn in as president.
“As one human rights defender I met told me: ‘Democracy remains in danger. We must do everything necessary to change the status quo.’ I fully agree with this assessment,” Türk said at a press conference in the Guatemalan capital after concluding a visit to the country.
Türk, who met this week with Arévalo, representatives of civil society, indigenous leaders and businessmen, said that for him it was a “priority” to support the country in its efforts to strengthen the democratic system, amid strong clashes between the executive branch and the legislative and judicial branches.
“For a State to function, the three powers must work in harmony. And for now, that is not happening. The polarization between the institutional levels is enormous. Public opinion is very fragmented. Corruption levels remain very high,” he added.
Since taking office in January, Arévalo has lost several battles in Congress, where he only has the support of 23 of 160 deputies, failing to get several laws approved, such as one to expand the national budget and others to declare emergencies due to rain.
The president, who has had the majority support of the international community, has unsuccessfully called for the resignation of the attorney general Consuelo Porras, who has refused to meet with him and who led the legal action against his party, Semilla, to prevent him from forming a government.
In 2021 and 2022, Porras was sanctioned by the United States and placed on that country’s list of corrupt and anti-democratic actors. The European Union, Canada and other nations have also banned the attorney general from office for her attempts to “undermine democracy” in Guatemala.
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