“The United States condemns the continued anti-democratic actions of the Guatemalan prosecutor’s office and other malign actors that undermine the rule of law” in the country, the State Department spokesman said.
The US government announced on Monday the imposition of travel restrictions on some 300 Guatemalan nationals, including more than a hundred members of parliament, condemning efforts to “undermine” democracy in Central America’s most populous country.
“The United States condemns the continued anti-democratic actions of the Guatemalan prosecutor’s office and other malign actors that undermine the rule of law” in the country, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a press release.
Visa restrictions on passports target “300 Guatemalan nationals, including more than 100 members of Congress, as well as representatives of the private sector and their relatives,” according to the statement.
The sanctions were announced against the backdrop of renewed escalation of tensions surrounding the outcome of the presidential election won by Bernardo Arevalo in August.
On Friday, Guatemala’s prosecutor’s office ruled that the election should be annulled due to alleged irregularities in the first round.
On the same day, the Supreme Electoral Court emphasized that the election results are “official” and “unchangeable”.
Mr Arevalo won a surprise presidential election this summer by promising to fight corruption and is expected to be sworn in on January 14.
The US, the European Union, the United Nations and the Organization of American States have strongly and repeatedly criticized the prosecution’s actions against the president-elect and other measures they call undemocratic.
Source :Skai
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