2023-09-01 17:33:38
Unanimously, the OAS criticized the “intimidation” of the Guatemalan Justice once morest President-elect Bernardo Arévalo (OAS/Juan Manuel Herrera)
(Washington, United States) All the countries of the Organization of American States (OAS) approved this Friday by acclamation a declaration critical of the judicial process being carried out by the Public Ministry of Guatemala, which it accused of “intimimidating” the elected president Bernardo Arévalo .
The previous discussion was very hard. “No, no”, pointed out the foreign minister of Guatemala, Mario Búcaro in the room, before beginning the meeting of the Permanent Council. He discussed with the ambassadors of the countries promoting the declaration.
Some went, others came. The meeting was scheduled for ten in the morning (local time), but an hour later, and with the Secretary General Luis Almagro and all the representatives in the room, the negotiations continued.
The refusal of the Guatemalan foreign minister to some of the paragraphs led him to the Chilean bench, where Ambassador Sebastián Kraljevich -one of the promoters of the text- had a document with the declaration open.
Búcaro sat there and began to put his hand into the document to point out points that he did not accept. After that, the discussion continued with several of the representatives around that computer. The most tense moment was when the United States ambassador, Frank Mora, pointed out some aspects that Búcaro rejected.
Búcaro criticized the OAS and, following insisting, got the statement to contain praise for the attitude of President Alejandro Giammattei (OAS / Juan Manuel Herrera)
It is not usual to see a foreign minister negotiating in the Permanent Council room with ambassadors from other countries, but the one from Guatemala made every effort to soften a statement criticizing his country.
When the session began, one hour and ten minutes later than expected, Búcaro was the first to speak and criticized the OAS: “It is truly worrying that in the face of every situation that occurs in my country, a Permanent Council is convened.”
After the critical reports from the Electoral Observation Mission (MOE) and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the Guatemalan foreign minister once once more asked for the floor to request an intermediate room to make a last effort to negotiate changes to the declaration, that he didn’t like it. He asked for a “positive” text.
As in the OAS the declarations of the countries seek to be issued by consensus, the representatives went to a private meeting of just over an hour in which an agreement was reached.
Finally, Búcaro managed to get the statement – which although he maintained his criticism of the Public Ministry – to praise the attitude of President Alejandro Giammaittei.
The text approved by all the countries, something unusual in sensitive issues, points out the concern of the entire continent for “the post-electoral actions of political actors” and the “prosecution” carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office.
The final text indicates the concern of the entire continent for “the post-electoral actions of political actors” and the “judicialization” carried out by the Prosecutor’s Office (OAS / Juan Manuel Herrera)
The OAS indicates that the Public Ministry applies “intimidation” to the party of the elected government and ensures that “the suspension of the Seed Movement contradicts the principles of representative democracy.” It also criticizes the “acts of intimidation once morest members of Movimiento Semilla and their families.”
In the declarative part, it calls on all the Guatemalan authorities to “respect civil rights.” He stresses that the separation of powers must be respected and that therefore the Prosecutor’s Office and the Judiciary must protect political rights and not interfere in the democratic process. “The separation of powers is essential,” says the text, which adds that “it is not acceptable” to use the Justice to “suspend civil and political rights.”
Búcaro managed to incorporate in the declaration a recognition to his government for coordinating the transition of power and guaranteeing the personal security of the president and the elected vice president.
Once the resolution was approved, the representatives of different countries spoke regarding the situation in Guatemala and welcomed the unanimous approval of a resolution.
One of the many who expressed himself was the Uruguayan ambassador, Washington Abdala, and some of what he said annoyed Foreign Minister Búcaro. Abdala highlighted the use of the word “intimidation” in the text of the resolution, and Abdala’s presentation closed with applause from a large part of the Permanent Council.
In the middle of the debate, more than half an hour following Abdala’s words, Búcaro asked for the floor once more to request “a right of reply” once morest Abdala. The foreign minister understands that with his words, Uruguay affects the sovereignty of his country. He quoted former Uruguayan president José Mujica, a political rival of the current Uruguayan government, as saying that “the sovereignty of a country is not negotiable.”
Mario Búcaro, Foreign Minister of Guatemala, was present this Friday at the OAS
“I can’t have you talking regarding the word ‘bullying, bullying, bullying.’ What I say to you today is: respect ambassador, respect ambassador, respect ambassador. All of us who are here are defending democracy and it is not up to you to be making assertions that only correspond to the Guatemalan legal system,” he said.
He immediately defended the actions of the Public Ministry. He recalled a statement from the body led by Consuelo Porras, the attorney general accused by the United States of corruption: “It clearly says that the MP is an autonomous institution that is not subordinate to any national or international entity, whose main mission is to investigate all the facts denounced by the citizens.
The foreign minister described as “disinformation campaigns” what is around what the Public Ministry does and said that this “confused the public.”
“We had reached a consensus that we were celebrating, but it seems that the speech you give changes the narrative. Respect, ambassador, ”he reiterated. He said that by speaking of “intimidation” he is “asserting a fact” that according to him, is being elucidated by the Guatemalan legal system. When Búcaro finished his speech, he applauded his country’s delegation.
Abdala responded to Búcaro that the only thing he did was highlight something that is in the declaration that was approved by his government. The word is used four times. The first time, it indicates that the OAS is concerned regarding “the continuous judicialization of the process and the practice of the Public Ministry of intimidating the electoral authorities.” Then the text points to the “acts of intimidation once morest members of the Seed Movement.” It further states “that the separation of powers is essential for the exercise of democracy, and that the use of the legal system as a tool to intimidate and unduly suspend civil and political rights is not acceptable.”
The representative of Uruguay, Washington Abdala was questioned by the foreign minister of Guatemala
Finally, in point 7 of the operative section, the countries ask Almagro to tell the Public Ministry on his next visit to the country that “the use of the legal system as a tool to intimidate and unduly change the electoral results is not acceptable.” ”.
“This is signed by you,” Abdala replied to Búcarlo when rereading that point of the resolution. “This is what we just signed, I did not leave the text. All I did was point out something that is important. You cannot feel uncomfortable regarding this, but it is what we have just signed with you”, said Abdala.
“If you really believe what you signed up for, we are in this together. History will tell”, closed Abdala.
Almagro will travel to Guatemala next week, as Infobae announced. The new visit to the country will be to participate in the beginning of the transition process between Giammaittei and Arévalo.
The OAS made a commitment to the incoming and outgoing president to observe the transition process, which will begin next Monday the 4th.
The OAS Permanent Council statement asked Almagro to plan that mission and to report periodically to the organization.
In addition, the countries ask Almagro to resume meetings with all the actors of the Guatemalan State, especially with the Public Ministry. Last month Almagro met with all the political, judicial and electoral authorities of the country.
But now the countries are asking him to meet once more with the Attorney General, Consuelo Porras, to request that the Public Ministry cease the “intimidation” of the elected authorities.
At the end of the Permanent Council, Almagro presented his work plan and named who will be the members of the delegation that will work on the new mission to collaborate in the transition.
Almagro said that “the success of democracy in Guatemala resides in Arévalo assuming power in January” and that “any other option is not acceptable” because it would imply “an alteration of the constitutional order.”
Keep reading:
Political crisis in Guatemala: the OAS criticized a new attack once morest the party of president-elect Bernardo ArévaloThe OAS harshly criticized the suspension of Bernardo Arévalo’s party following his victory in the ballot in Guatemala question the election result
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