Colombian President Asks OAS to Address Guatemalan Crisis

On Saturday, Colombian President Gustavo Petro asserted that the Organization of American States (OAS) must convene "urgently" to address the situation in Guatemala, where a coup is in the making to prevent Bernardo Arevalo from assuming the presidency.

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"The OAS must convene urgently to scrutinize the events in Guatemala and support the citizens' vote," Petro posted on the social media platform X.

Earlier this week, Guatemala's President-elect Arevalo traveled to Washington, where he met with OAS Secretary Luis Almagro to tackle the political crisis in Guatemala.

Petro cautioned that the Guatemalan Prosecutor's Office is acting as an "instrument of the coup" and stressed that "all democratic governments in the Americas and worldwide should be prepared to respond."

The text reads, "The actress Maria Mercedes Coroy, who has performed in films such as Ixcanul, la Llorona or Malinche, joins the protests in the city of Antigua Guatemala, along with a group of artists."

Meanwhile, citing "judicial secrecy," Guatemalan officials have not provided information on why the Prosecutor's Office has repeatedly raided the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

Rafael Curruchiche, the prosecutor in charge of the case, stated that the objective of the legal process is to preserve "democracy" in Guatemala.

This lawyer and the upper echelons of the Prosecutor's Office, however, have faced sanctions from the United States on charges of "undermining" justice in Guatemala.

Bernardo Arevalo, a leftist politician backed by the Seed party, won the presidential runoff on August 20. If the conservative elites do not undermine democracy, Guatemalans hope he will replace President Alejandro Giammattei on January 14, 2024.