Ancestral Authorities stand alongside the President and Vice President elect. Photo: Festivales Solidarios

Inauguration is around the corner: on January 14, Berardo Arévalo should assume the presidency, following his landslide win in August. But Guatemala’s “Pact of the Corrupt” is pulling out all the stops to try to avoid Arévalo and his anti-graft Semilla party from assuming power. Nonetheless, through their months of resistance, Indigenous authority-led protests have demonstrated the power of committed, grassroots organizing. Their tireless resistance against attempts to subvert the will of the people, along with the international community’s clear rejection of coup attempts, may make a democratic transition possible, despite ongoing threats, criminalization, and attempts to overturn election results.

Public Prosecutor’s Office Seeks to Annul Elections

On December 8, Guatemala’s Public Prosecutor’s office (MP) took another step towards a coup, when MP officials held a press conference threatening to annul the elections. Further, they announced they would seek to remove immunity from incoming president Bernardo Arévalo and two Semilla legislators, Samuel Pérez and Ligia Hernández, opening them up to potential prosecution. These attempts to remove immunity for elected Semilla politicians follow earlier November efforts to strip the president and vice president elect, and other politicians critical of the Pact of the Corrupt of their immunity, as well as instill fear through widespread criminalization.

Ongoing Coup Attempts Spark International Outcry

The international community reacted quickly. The Organisation of American States (OAS) immediately released a statement condemning the “coup attempt” and later activated Article 18 of the Democratic Charter, sending a high-level OAS Commission to Guatemala. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IAHCR) adopted a resolution on “human rights and grave risks to the rule of law in Guatemala,” decrying the malicious use of the judicial system to affect election outcomes, as well as the erosion of democratic checks and balances, threatening the human rights of the population. The IAHCR called on the Guatemalan state to protect the lives and wellbeing of elected politicians, human rights defenders, journalists and Indigenous communities and their authorities. That weekend,  seven Embassies (including Canada’s ambassador, Rajani Alexander) published a joint editorial condemning the actions of Guatemalan actors who “seek to silence the voice of the people.” The spokesperson for the UN Secretary General expressed alarm at the MP’s attempts to annul the election results, the European Union is considering targeted sanctions, and the U.S. State Department canceled more than 300 visas for those associated with corruption, while a bipartisan U.S. congressional delegation called for the will of the Guatemalan people to be respected and highlighted the ongoing criminalization of Virginia Laparra and José Zamora.

Ancestral Authorities’ Peaceful Resistance Provides Hope for Democratic Transition

The MP’s press conference came on the heels of a massive December 7 march, led by Ancestral Authorities. Thousands gathered to demand their voice be respected. Thousands marched to the seats of power most responsible for the ongoing attacks on democracy, including the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court, the Congress, and the MP. This march was part of a larger, ongoing resistance to the Pact of the Corrupt’s authoritarian threat. Authorities from seven Indigenous communities have led and organized permanent protests for more than two months. Currently, they are maintaining a round-the-clock sit-in in front of the MP’s main building, as well as outside the Congress.

Organized campesino movements like the CCDA have joined in calls for an end to the State’s ongoing looting, which they identify as the cause of violence, forced impoverishment, displacement, and criminalization of Indigenous and campesino communities. Photo: CCDA

 

Ancestral Authorities from Baja Verapaz joined other Ancestral Authorities in leading the December 7 march. Photo: Festivales Solidarios

This permanent resistance has not been easy, requiring immense organization, commitment, and mobilization of community members. Organizers have faced threats and criminalization, and several have been killed, including Xinka Parliament leader Noé Gómez Barrera. Though the Indigenous-led struggle has come at great cost, Indigenous communities locate their efforts as part of a more than 500 year history of struggle. Ancestral authorities like Aleisar Arana (Huxi Hurak, Xinka people) say they will not rest until the peaceful transition of power on January 14. 

Don Aleisar Arana (Huxi Hurak, Xinka people) says thats Indigenous peoples will continue in resistance, without pause, until January 14. He extended an invitation to all peoples to join in the struggle. Photo: El Faro