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What is stopping Guatemala’s president-elect from taking office? | DW News

  • January 14, 2024



What is stopping Guatemala’s president-elect from taking office? | DW News

The inauguration of Guatemala’s new president Bernardo aralo has been delayed by disputes in Parliament lawmakers from his party have been forced to register as Independents the anti-corruption campaigner has endured a bumpy road to power since his election victory in August Guatemala’s attorney general has repeatedly tried to stop him from taking

Office in what the president elect has called a coup attempt and for more on this let’s go straight to our Latin America correspondent Nicole ree who is in Guatemala City for us Nicole the president is due to be inaugurated today but his party just got suspended from Congress what does this

Mean well actually I’m uh right here where this inauguration should take place right behind in this building and at the moment nothing is uh moving forward due to this delay this has partly to do with the suspension of this basically for the party members means that they cannot take part in

Debates in Congress that they cannot influence important debates they can only vote so this is a big issue this is one ball that is rolling right now the other problem is that outgoing uh members uh of Congress usually need to make sure that the newcomers the incoming government gets their

Credentials this happens in a ceremony before the inauguration this should have happened this morning it hasn’t and this is why there is an interruption of this ceremony we don’t know for how long we don’t know if it just stops and something else will happen but obviously this puts in Jeopardy this whole

Inauguration today because he needs to be inaugurated in a certain amount of time as well as well an option that has been talked about before in uh the connection with the rumors of a was for example that the Congress could actually say that there will be an interim

President and then of course here we would see massive Pro uh protests but at the moment there’s a lot of uncertainty and this blockage of the ceremony so we have to hang in here and see what happens in the meantime we’re also hearing unconfirmed reports of uh colleagues from press that don’t have

Access to Congress right now they’re asking for help so they can get in to actually see what’s happening there so at the moment a lot of uncertainty and a bit of disorder I’m afraid okay well good to have you so close to the action and keeping a breast of what the

President elect will be doing but listen you spoke to him yesterday where he told you that corrupt was at the heart of efforts to keep him out of power I want our viewers to have a listen now the people who oppose us who have tried and continue to try to stop us

From coming to power and to prevent a government committed to change from succeeding are from precisely that criminal political class which is embedded in the political system and the institutions of the state those of them that still remain have realized that the victory given to us by the people of

Guatemala is a mandate for a future free of corruption which implies that the end of a business model based on corruption has arrived so some ambitious plans were laid out there it sounded like to me what do you think his chances are of achieving them

Well from what we see right now and from what we’ve seen in the past few months with all the intents to hinder him hinder him from taking over I think it’s only going to continue really he is up against a very strong Alliance of conservative politicians uh the established political class that has

Been ruling the country for so many years that is being blamed for demolishing democracy in Guatemala so uh this is only going to be further more difficult if he actually happens to take over and he also doesn’t have the majority in Congress so uh it is a bit

Of a difficult situation for him but yesterday when I spoke to him he obviously said that he is optimistic that he can make alliances and that he can actually through alliances also kind of you know tackle the corruption which is the main problem here in Guatemala

Everybody you talk to here says we need to get rid of corruption so other things work for example health care for example education uh so this is the most important issue but for now there is no new president really we still have to wait if he actually is being able to

Take over today and just briefly have about 30 seconds you talked to the president-elect any other things that stood out for you well one of his first actions that he pointed out is that he’s going to ask the attorney general that you mentioned earlier to step down she said he says in

His own words there is no need for this woman anymore cons so this is his first action and he seemed quite confident that he actually can do that but the other question is if this person actually will also appear in his office to uh take this order from

Him so uh lots of things still swinging here a lot of things swinging a lot of moving pieces and thank you Nicole ree for putting them all together for us Nicole ree in Guatemala

The inauguration of Guatamala’s new president Bernardo Arévalo has been delayed by squabbles in parliament. Lawmakers from his party have been forced to register as independents.

The anti-corruption campaigner has endured a bumpy road to power since his election victory in August. Guatemala’s attorney general has repeatedly tried to stop him from taking office, in what the president-elect has called a coup attempt.

For more on this, we talk to our Latin America correspondent Nicole Ris, who is in Guatemala City for us.

#Guatemala #Corruption #PresidentialElection

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36 comments

  5. 'Coup' is just another word for non-peaceful transfer of power; this is the new standard for USA politics. Leaders in how to run a democracy….⚰

  6. As a Canadian, I know too little about the situation there to know what is the best way forward but I do hope that whatever happens, it will be best for the people and that corruption is rooted out entirely, not just replaced with new corruption

  12. It's this kind of political instability, politcal corruption and violent crime that deters much needed foreign investment and pushes hundreds of thousands of Guatemalens to flee for an uncertain future in the U.S. Stable governments and lower crime lead to increased foreign investment which, in turn leads to reduced migration.

  20. THE UNION NATION IS USELESS….THE SUPREME INSTITUTION SHOULD NOT BE INTERVENTIONED BY ANY COUNTRY…. LESS LET AGAIN THE UNITED STATES… LOOK AT THE ENTIRE WAR THAT HAS BEEN OCCURRING IT WAS THE PROVOCATOR OF THE U.S.A. AND THE U.E. GERMANY

  21. Update from Guatemala… Though 12 hours later than expected, the new congress has been sworn in and is on the way to the inauguration, where Arevalo will take over the presidency.

    75 congressmen and women opposed this with every resource available to them, but failed. They will "serve" in cingress for the next 4 years and will try to oppose most if not all of Arevalo's policies.

    For the moment, this is a great victory. It remains to be seen if this government will make right on its promise to fight corruption, but if it does we might just have a chance!

  29. Don't forget that USA attacked the country of Guatemala for 30 years…Of course the whites in Guatemala work together with USA…Reporter, what Democracy are you talking about? The one the USA implemented in all Latin America. Because USA is a Plutocracy…USA is NOT Democratic.😢😢😢😢😢

  31. Women can be dictators too. The AG is one, Poras (spelling?) using her office to prevent a popular elected president, she blocks the transfer of power is a dictatorial move.
    If anything is learned from Jan 6th it would be you have to put your money where your mouth is. The Washington establishment on both sides united against Trump and the AG Garland, appointed a Special Prosecutor to try Trump, consequently remove him from the ballot. This action constitutes a coup dé état by democrats. A coup is anything that blocks the transfer of power from proceeding…what is gained…Poras gains the use of her office to crush the opposition of the indigenous people of Guatemala, the Maya.

    Lula DeSilva was jailed in Brazil and popular presidents elected in Peru, Ecuador removed. It is an international conspiracy but that would mean they meet up in secret and strategize among republican ruling elites, some do but most are caught up in their own societies, in struggles like this one, fight like their existence is at stake too busy to be part of a conspiracy, crush any opposition. Who do meet once a year are the international billionaire class at DAVOS and they conspire all day and night. But give dictators an inch they take an arm.

    Question remains why even bother with institutions that are inherent contradictions the people of Mexico, Canada, and the US are living under regimes who stay in power by means of a coup. If we scan across to Europe the people there are living under monarchies, some quietly rule, others rule overtly in the open with Public acceptance. Monarchies rule the Middle East as well that this century is more like a restoration of the politics of the 18th century.

  33. Bendiciones Presidente Arevalo, que Dios le proteja y le de sabiduría y coraje para enfrentar a tanto ladron con posisiones en el gobierno.
    A limpiar casa por favor, estamos con usted

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