Arevalo de León summons the prosecutor who tried to prevent his inauguration

Guatemala City (EFE).- The President of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León, sent a letter to the Attorney General, Consuelo Porras Argueta, summoning him, after the Director of Public Prosecutions (Public Prosecutor's Office) tried to prevent his inauguration in recent months.

The president, who took office early Monday morning, explained Tuesday in statements to reporters that “we are sending a message to the Attorney General” to summon her.

“We will start the process there,” the 65-year-old governor added.

Porras Argueta and the Attorney General's Office sought to prevent the inauguration of Arévalo de León and his party, the Similla Movement, for more than six months, specifically since July, just three weeks after the incumbent president advanced to the runoff.

“We have a president,” the president noted, also saying that “the people of Guatemala want to leave this group of criminals behind.”

Arevalo de Leon had warned since last September 1 that Boras Argueta was carrying out a “coup” against him along with other corrupt parties.

The president's words came after a ceremony held in the Mayan civilization in honor of his presidential term, which ends in January 2028.

Without the possibility of dismissing the public prosecutor

Guatemalan law stipulates that the only reason for the dismissal of a prosecutor is after she has been convicted of a crime.

For this reason, Arevalo de Leon does not have the possibility to order his resignation, but he warned last week that he would be asked to resign.

For her part, the Prosecutor General has not appeared frequently in recent years and has not commented on the inauguration of the new governor.

However, according to experts, with the presidency of Congress in the hands of the Simela movement and a majority in Parliament, they will likely look for an alternative to dismissing the Attorney General.

Porras Argueta and the leadership of the Public Ministry have in recent years received sanctions from the United States and have also been accused by various sectors of blocking criminal investigations against former presidents Alejandro Giammattei (2020-2024) and Jimmy Morales (2016-2020).

An eventful investment

The Guatemalan Congress witnessed moments of tension on Sunday with the inauguration of Arevalo de León, which was delayed by a group of parliamentarians from the outgoing Congress who sought to derail the processes.

At midday, several Semilla MPs, overwhelmed by the situation, had to force open the door as parliamentarians linked to Giammattei's government sought to delay the legal proceedings of the new judiciary.

“Stop!” One of the new MPs, Jonathan Minkus, shouted loudly as he entered the room where like-minded government parliamentarians were present, after forcing the door open, while other lawmakers tried the same at the other end.

Minkus later stressed, “I am a man of peace and quiet, but injustice, abuse and corruption in public power will always make me ready to raise my voice.”

The lawmaker, widely known within the party for his technical knowledge, will ask Congress for leave and will be Arevalo de León's finance minister.

In a Mayan ceremony

The new president witnessed Mayan ceremonies on Tuesday a few kilometers from downtown Guatemala City, in an archaeological park.

The ceremony is “presided over by Mayan authorities,” the government confirmed, “to bless the new authorities with ancestral knowledge,” in an event also attended by the Vice President, Karen Herrera.

The governor stated during his speech that, “It is with great humility that Karen, I, and the Cabinet have come to participate with you in this ceremony.”