Guatemala Roundup: ‘Attempted coup’, EU measures, International support, Dengue
Prosecutors threaten to annul election results
Guatemalan prosecutors announced on Friday, December 8, that their investigations concluded that the elections won by Bernardo Arévalo were 'null and void,' citing irregularities in the vote counting process. The country's tribunal says results are 'unalterable,’ and critics condemn the situation as an "attempted coup." The President-elect is set to take office on January 14.
The EU “ready to adopt restrictive measures”
The European Union announced possible “restrictive measures against those responsible”, due to the political situation in Guatemala.
Josep Borrell, the EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, tweeted: "EU condemns attempts to nullify Guatemala election, based on spurious fraud allegations: an attempted coup d’etat that will impact EU-Guatemala relations. We have decided in principle to adopt a framework allowing for targeted restrictive measures against those responsible”.
Arévalo receives support from countries in the region, the West and the UN
Costa Rica, Ecuador, Panamá, and the Dominican Republic, members of the Alliance for Development in Democracy, expressed "deep concern" about the current political situation in Guatemala in a joint statement. They explained that recent actions "jeopardize the independence of powers and the sovereign will of the Guatemalan people." The U.S. and other Western countries have also expressed their support for Arévalo, stating that the investigations are a coordinated effort to undermine him and democracy in Guatemala. The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, also condemned "persistent and systematic" attempts to undermine Guatemala’s elections and called for the results to be respected.
OAS to meet this Tuesday
The Organization of American States (OAS) has called for a meeting on Tuesday, December 12, to discuss the situation in Guatemala for the seventh time since Bernardo Arévalo was elected president in August 2023, as reported by Prensa Libre.
Dengue epidemic intensifies
The dengue epidemic persists in Guatemala, with the country now surpassing 64,000 cases and nearing a hundred deaths from the disease, reports Prensa Libre. The rainfall expected in December could worsen the situation. Dr. Ricardo Menéndez, head of the Pediatric Emergency Department at Roosevelt Hospital, said that 10% of the cases they are treating involve children. In previous years by this season, the epidemic had already subsided. According to the latest report from the Ministry of Health, as of November 25, there were 64,316 cases, marking an increase of 13,430 compared to the entire year of 2019, the last year with a spike in cases. When comparing the impact of dengue between 2022 and 2023, the increase is six times greater.
