UN raises alarm on attempts to annul Guatemala's general election results
Dec 10, 2023
Guatemala City [Guatemala], December 10: The United Nations high commissioner for human rights deplored "persistent and systematic" attempts to undermine the outcome of Guatemala's elections and called for the will of voters to be upheld, after public prosecutors moved to overturn President-elect Bernardo Arevalo's victory.
On Saturday, Volker Turk, The UN's human rights chief, noted that "Friday's announcements, aimed at nullifying the outcome of the general elections and questioning the constitution and existence of the MovimientoSemilla party are extremely disturbing."
"Judicial harassment and intimidation against electoral officers and elected officials is unacceptable," Turk said.
On Friday, prosecutors threatened to annul the victory of Arevalo, who is set to take office on January 14.
Prosecutor Leonor Morales said investigations concluded that the election of anti-graft political outsider Arevalo, his vice president and parliamentarians was "null and void" due to counting "anomalies" in the first round in June.
In an attempt to stop him from taking over as president, Arevalo has repeatedly faced an onslaught of legal challenges, including moves to suspend his party.
Guatemala has long struggled to rein in official corruption. The International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), a UN-backed body, found itself abruptly shuttered in 2021, after then-President Jimmy Morales accused it of illegal acts.
Source: Qatar Tribune
