Arévalo, of the Semilla Movement party, recalled in a letter to Giammattei that the people witnessed for months the attempts to annul the popular will by Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who undertook “actions aimed at mocking the people of Guatemala, breaking the integrity of the electoral process and denying the results of the elections of June 25th and August 20th.”
Arévalo called the “most scandalous point” the events that took place last September 30th, when prosecutors from the People’s Ministry broke into the headquarters of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal with excessive force, kidnapped the records, walked over and humiliated the magistrates.
He considered that Giammattei remained silent throughout this process, and when he spoke to the citizens he did so “to offend them and incite violence.” “His silence is interpreted by the people as consent to the violation of our democratic institutions,” Arevalo stated, and described this attitude as “an insult to the people of Guatemala, who have responded with courage and determination through what may possibly be the largest mass mobilizations in our history.”
Arévalo acknowledged that the protests in the streets have not been about the Semilla Movement, but rather about protecting democracy, “enforcing the rights enshrined in the Constitution that you yourself (Giammatei) swore to defend,” he remarked. “The people also took to the streets to peacefully express the anger accumulated by four years of increased violence, rising food prices, unbridled corruption, public health crises, stolen money, lies and unfulfilled promises,” he emphasized.
The legitimacy of these expressions of protest is evident and is proven “by the notorious fact that the National Civil Police has protected and defended them from attacks by infiltrators and violent and intolerant people,” Arévalo added, and called on Giammattei not to further distract the nation; “The people of Guatemala have already decided that they want change,” he wrote, and considered that the head of state has in his hands the key that can undo the crisis.
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