Central America
Guatemalan president-elect warns of a coup d’état
December 10 |
The president-elect of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, indicated “we are facing an absurd, ridiculous and perverse coup d’état”, after the Attorney General’s Office indicated that the elections held this year and in which he won with 58% of the votes, should be annulled due to alleged administrative irregularities of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
“The coup plotters are kicking the can down the road, the last shaky steps for a coup d’état”, said Arevalo, who added that these actions come from a group of high officials operating from the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP).
In the same sense, the 64 year old academic said that “the coup attempt is real and has brought us to a crucial moment for the history of our country”.
This group filed an investigation to try to prevent the presidential inauguration, on January 14, 2024, he argued.
“The coup group that occupies the MP has made very clear the intentions of the illegal actions they have carried out in the last year, they began with the repression to restrict the freedom of expression,” said the president.
According to the Guatemalan politician, these actions of the MP are part of a larger plan that the investigating entity has been greasing. “They continued with the persecution of the social and political organization, today they are exerting pressure and extortion against any official who opposes to follow their illegal instructions”, he denounced.
Among the accusations made by the MP are the alleged irregular affiliation to found the political party Movimiento Semilla, since the Prosecutor’s Office has a confirmatory statement from a former worker of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), who confessed to the alleged irregularities.
“We do not know what it is, we are simply listening to affirmations of the MP. I believe that their credibility does not exist anywhere without them demonstrating the things they are doing, we do not have access to the folder”, Arévalo emphasized.
Another of the specific accusations against the political group is an alert activated by the Intendencia de Verificación Especial (IVE) for an alleged suspicious transaction of 44,000 dollars, which in the opinion of the authorities could be a case of possible money laundering.
“The 44 thousand dollars that are reported are even known in a loan contract that we subscribed with a person who is affiliated to the party to be able to pay the fine imposed on us by the TSE, it is perfectly documented and registered”, he explained.
Lawyers of the group said they have a clear legal route, since they will have to respond to the new requests of pre-trial presented against the president elect and two deputies of the party.
Central America
Arévalo accuses Porras and judge of undermining democracy in Guatemala
Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo denounced a new attempt at a “coup” orchestrated by the Attorney General’s Office. He also requested an extraordinary session at the Organization of American States (OAS) to address the country’s ongoing political crisis.
The president has been at odds with Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who has been sanctioned by the United States and the European Union for being “corrupt” and “anti-democratic.” Since 2023, Arévalo has accused Porras of launching investigations against his party, Semilla, and the 2023 elections as part of a scheme to prevent his inauguration in January 2024.
From the presidential office, Arévalo has said he continues to “resist” the “coup plotters,” but tensions escalated last Friday when Judge Fredy Orellana, at the request of the Attorney General’s Office, ordered the electoral court to annul the Semilla party’s promoter group. Arévalo interpreted this as an attempt to revoke the positions won by the party.
“Orellana, a hitman who distorts the law in service of Consuelo Porras, is attempting to force […] the unconstitutional removal of a mayor, 23 elected deputies […], the vice president, and the president of the country,” Arévalo said in a televised address on Sunday.
“We call on the international community not to turn a blind eye to the coup being attempted in Guatemala,” he added, speaking alongside his cabinet and congressional members at the National Palace in Guatemala City.
Arévalo requested that the Organization of American States hold an extraordinary session to present “the serious threats” to the Guatemalan Constitution and democracy perpetrated by Porras and Orellana.
Yesterday, Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martínez reaffirmed the president’s statements, emphasizing the need “to go and expose the situation” Guatemala has been facing since last week due to the actions of the Attorney General’s Office.
Central America
New dismembered bodies found in San Juan river days after mass killing in Palencia
On the morning of Monday, October 27, Guatemala’s Volunteer Firefighters confirmed the discovery of two bodies and two human heads inside plastic bags in the San Juan River, located in the Zacualpía village at kilometer 21 of the Atlantic Highway, in the jurisdiction of Palencia.
The remains were found by personnel from Companies 85, 50, and Central, who responded after receiving a report about suspicious bags floating in the water. The gruesome discovery was made just a few meters from the site where eight tortured bodies were found under the San Juan Bridge on Friday, October 24.
Local authorities do not rule out a connection between both incidents and suspect they may be tied to the same criminal organization. Investigators from the Public Ministry and the National Civil Police arrived at the scene to gather evidence and transfer the remains to the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (Inacif).
According to data from the National Economic Research Center (CIEN), Guatemala recorded 2,154 homicides between January and August 2025, an increase compared to the 1,816 reported during the same period in 2024.
Central America
Four guatemalan soldiers arrested for stealing weapons from Northern Air Command
Four soldiers were arrested in connection with the theft of weapons from the Northern Air Command of the Ministry of Defense in Petén, Guatemala, following operations conducted by the Public Ministry (Prosecutor’s Office).
“During the operations, criminal scenes were processed, analyzed, and documented photographically, possible escape routes were identified, surveillance cameras were located, and potential witnesses were interviewed,” the Prosecutor’s Office explained in a social media post.
The detained soldiers were identified as Ludwin Jónathan Cardona Baltazar, charged with illicit association, dereliction of duty, and aggravated theft; and Josué Israel Pérez Jerónimo, Alain Omar Marroquín Soch, and Carlos Ernesto Ibarra Corrales, charged with dereliction of duty, according to Guatemala’s Prensa Libre.
The military personnel reportedly stole 55 rifles, 14,420 rounds of 5.56 mm ammunition, 92 magazines of 35 rounds each, 19 magazines of 20 rounds each, and three grenade launchers, “which were allegedly moved from the arms warehouse to the outside for illicit sale.”
The Ministry of Defense stated that it will keep its internal control mechanisms active to prevent similar incidents.
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