Democracy and justice hang by a thread in Guatemala
The days leading up to the Jan. 14 presidential inauguration are crucial for the future of Guatemala. If Arévalo can take office, he will do so with an overwhelming mandate to roll back corruption and recover the democratic institutions that have been so badly eroded during the past five years. But if the slow coup that is currently underway is allowed to succeed and Arévalo is prevented from taking office, it will be the final blow to the democratic reconstruction that has been so painstakingly built by courageous Guatemalans, with international support, following 36 years of armed conflict.
Canada, and our allies, must make it unambiguously clear that after Jan. 14, they will recognize no other government in Guatemala than that of President Bernardo Arevalo, pictured centre, in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 4, 2023, with Luis Almagro, right, OAS Secretary General, write Marie-Dominik Langlois and Steve Stewart. Photograph courtesy of Flickr: Juan Manuel Herrera/OAS
