Guatemala's attorney general asks authorities to act against pro-democracy protests

Market vendors march during a national strike in Guatemala City, Monday, Oct. 9, 2023. People are protesting to support President-elect Bernardo Arévalo after Guatemala's highest court upheld a move by prosecutors to suspend his political party over alleged voter registration fraud. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemala's attorney general on Monday called for the government to act against largely peaceful protesters, who have taken to the streets for weeks demanding her resignation for what they say are clear attempts to undermine their nation's democracy.

Protests broke out in Guatemala two weeks ago following one of the most tumultuous elections in the country's recent history. The protests are fueled by accusations that Attorney General Consuelo Porras has tried to prevent President-elect Bernardo Arevalo from taking office in January.

Since emerging as a political contender earlier this year, Arevalo -- a progressive outsider challenging the elite who have long controlled the Central American nation -- and his Seed Movement party have faced waves of legal attacks. Those only ramped up when he won the country's elections in August.

The attacks have included raids on electoral facilities and the suspension of Arevalo's political party, effectively handicapping his ability to govern.

Such moves against the incoming leader prompted Indigenous groups and rural-dwellers -- long disenfranchised in Guatemalan society -- to call for an indefinite strike, which began with 14 blockades. Now two weeks into protests, the blockades have since expanded to block more than 80 roads throughout the country.

In a video released Monday morning, Porras described the demonstrations against her as "illegal", and asked for authorities to forcibly clear the blocked roads and allow for the free circulation of people once again.

"I want to express my complete disagreement and distaste" of the protests, she said, adding that they "clearly violate the rights of all Guatemalans."

Demonstrators have largely been peaceful, but her message comes after a handful of incidents over the weekend. People annoyed by the road blockades drove their cars at protesters and were later arrested for causing material damage and making attempts against the lives of the people protesting.

Porras and other prosecutors have been sanctioned by the U.S. government and had their entry visas withdrawn, accusing them of obstructing the anti-corruption fight and undermining democracy in the country.