International

Guatemalan president-elect calls for end to persecution of his party

Photo: Telesur

September 12 |

The president-elect of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León, called for an end to the judicial persecution against his social democratic party Semilla.

Arévalo insisted that the judicial actions against his political party affect the process of transition and investiture as president of Guatemala as of January 2024.

It is worth mentioning that the president elect is meeting with the outgoing president, Alejandro Giammattei to continue with the process of transfer of power.

For his part, Giammattei committed himself to “carry out an orderly and high quality transition” and offered Arévalo a physical space in the National Palace of Culture to maintain “constant communication” to carry out the transition process.

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Despite the statements of the outgoing president, Arévalo insisted that “it is necessary to cease the process of political persecution and judicial intimidation which is underway by the institutions of justice”.

It should be recalled that the elected president denounced last August 1 a “coup d’état” plan that would prevent him from taking office in January, despite the fact that Giammattei swore “to give his life” so that Arevalo would take office on January 14.

“I assure you and if my life is necessary for you to take office there you have it, but you will be the next president of Guatemala, whether I like it or not, what matters is that the people elected you”, argued the president a few days ago.

On this occasion and in front of the press, Giammattei kept his word and guaranteed to keep it for next January.

“As head of state I guaranteed you a week ago and I guarantee you today (that) you will take office on January 14, that is the decision of the people of Guatemala. It will be good, it will be bad, that does not matter, and that decision is respected,” he said.

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After Arevalo’s electoral victory during the first presidential round, the Attorney General’s Office initiated an investigation process that would damage the legal status of the Semilla party.

The argument of the Prosecutor’s Office insisted on alleged anomalies in its registration for 2017. Despite the evidence, the Constitutional Court revoked the ruling and allowed Arevalo to compete in the second round.

By last Tuesday, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) declared the progressive Arévalo as the winner and handed him and his vice-president-elect Karin Herrera the credentials accrediting him as president-elect.

Arévalo thanked for the credentials and said that the TSE magistrates are a central element in the process of defending democracy in the country.

However, despite being president elect, Bernardo Arévalo insists that there is a persecution against his political party that seeks to impede the transition process of his nation.

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International

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The administration added that similar decisions would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, depending on humanitarian considerations.

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The decision will be approved by royal decree, an exceptional legal mechanism used in special cases that require expedited resolution due to specific circumstances.

López has been living in Madrid since 2020, after leaving Venezuela following a prolonged political and legal conflict with the government of Nicolás Maduro.

According to government sources, López currently does not have a valid Venezuelan passport and faces difficulties in having his nationality fully recognized in his home country.

As a result, he applied for Spanish citizenship via a fast-track process at the end of 2025, after previously attempting to obtain it through regular procedures.

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The Spanish government justified the move based on López’s international relevance and foreign policy considerations.

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ICE to remain at airports amid DHS shutdown, Homan says

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“We will maintain ICE presence until airports feel they are fully back to normal operations,” Homan said during an interview on Face the Nation on CBS.

Homan justified the deployment on security grounds, noting that the measure was ordered by President Donald Trumpamid widespread absenteeism among agents of the Transportation Security Administration, who have gone without pay for over six weeks due to the DHS shutdown.

According to acting TSA administrator Ha Nguyen McNeill, at least 460 TSA agents have resigned during the shutdown, while daily absenteeism has averaged 11%, exceeding 50% at some airports.

Homan warned that if TSA staffing levels do not recover after the shutdown, ICE agents will continue filling the gap. “ICE is there to support our TSA brothers and sisters. We will remain as long as needed to ensure airport security,” he said.

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The DHS shutdown reached 44 days on Sunday, making it the longest government shutdown in U.S. history. The impasse stems from disagreements between Democrats and Republicans over ICE funding.

A recent bipartisan Senate proposal to fund DHS without including ICE failed after being blocked by House Republicans, who insist on full funding for the agency.

Amid the deadlock, Trump signed an executive order directing Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to immediately pay TSA agents to address what he called an “emergency situation” and restore order at airports, with payments expected to begin Monday.