Lula Warns: Guatemala Faces A Coup

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva issued a warning to world leaders during the UN General Assembly on September 19.

According to him, Guatemala, where Bernardo Arevalo was elected president as a result of elections in August, “is at risk of a coup d’état that would prevent the winner of a democratic election from taking office.” This was reported by Reuters, which also explains that the USA shares the concerns of the Brazilian leader.

Arévalo was elected with a 59% majority, but his Movimiento Semilla party was suspended shortly after the election, while the attorney general’s office launched a series of investigations into party registration and alleged electoral fraud. The political formation had already been suspended for the first time and then restored by the Supreme Court in the period between the primaries and the final vote.

Thousands of people took the streets of Guatemala in support of Arevalo, who explained, “Let’s not give in to these corrupt people who don’t want to leave power.” His official inauguration is scheduled for January 14, 2024, and Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei, again at the UN, criticized “useless foreign interference,” reaffirming that he is committed to completing the transfer of power, while just a week ago Arevalo said the process is being interrupted until the “necessary institutional and political conditions” are restored.