GUATEMALA CITY (AP) 鈥 Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Ar茅valo鈥檚 imminent inauguration and the unrelenting pursuit of him and his party by the attorney general are recurring topics over dinner tables in this country, reflecting a political awakening in a population weary of corruption and impunity.
Despite Ar茅valo鈥檚 wide margin of victory in and declared fair by international observers, he has been a target of prosecutors since his surprise second-place showing in June鈥檚 first round of voting. His anti-corruption stance and outsider status are threats to deep-rooted interests in the Central American country, observers say.
For many Guatemalans, Sunday鈥檚 inauguration represents not only the culmination of Ar茅valo鈥檚 victory at the polls but also their successful defense of the country's democracy.
Walter Cruz, a 55-year-old businessman from Guatemala City, said that at his family鈥檚 Christmas dinner, they discussed what the new year would bring and expressed concern over rising crime and the economy.
鈥淲hat we hoped for was that the inauguration would happen without any problems, that it would be a good administration that benefits everyone as a country,鈥 Cruz said. 鈥淚 feel like the country鈥檚 development has stagnated.鈥
The election drama and protests have awakened many Guatemalans politically, said Stephanie Rodr铆guez, a lawyer in the capital.
鈥淚 believe there is a process of politization in families,鈥 she said. 鈥淭here are people who don鈥檛 consider themselves supporters of a specific political party, but who have been drawn into the streets by the issue of the elections. It seems like something new to me.鈥
That Ar茅valo has made it to within a day of his inauguration is largely owed to thousands of Guatemala鈥檚 last year to protest and demand that Attorney General Consuelo Porras and her prosecutors respect the Aug. 20 vote.
Prosecutors have sought to suspend Ar茅valo's Seed Movement party and strip Ar茅valo of his immunity three times. On Friday his vice president Karin Herrera announced that the Constitutional Court had granted her an injunction, heading off a supposed arrest order. Prosecutors have alleged wrongdoing in the way the Seed Movement collected signatures to register as a party years earlier, that its leaders encouraged a monthlong occupation of a public university, and that there was fraud in the election.
Guatemalan sociologist Vaclav Masek said that 鈥渢he decision of the Indigenous peoples to mobilize to avoid that a criminal group advance or in the country was made not to defend Ar茅valo, but rather to defend the democracy, to defend the right to vote, elect and be elected.鈥
鈥淭hey were the protagonists of transformational social change,鈥 Masek said.
Another factor that appeared to keep Ar茅valo鈥檚 inauguration on track was the early and strong support from the . The European Union, Organization of American States and the United States government repeatedly demanded respect for the popular vote.
The U.S. government has gone further, sanctioning Guatemalan officials and private citizens suspected of undermining the country鈥檚 democracy.
On Thursday, U.S. assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere, Brian A. Nichols, said the U.S. government would continue identifying and holding accountable those who tried to undermine Guatemala鈥檚 democracy.
Masek said the international community has played an important role in what "we call the defense of democracy.鈥
鈥淭he diplomatic sanctions were an important deterrent and I believe they mark a watershed in the way that Guatemala is seen at a geopolitical level," he said.
He noted that the aggression toward Ar茅valo will not likely stop with his inauguration. Porras鈥 term as attorney general extends to 2026.
Ar茅valo is a before launching a political career. He was not even polling among the top five contenders going into the first round of voting in June.
He ran on a platform of resuming the fight against corruption, something Guatemala had made strides in. Under Porras, the country's prosecutors and judges who led that effort have become targets, forcing dozens to flee the country or be arrested.
Ar茅valo is the son of former President Juan Jos茅 Ar茅valo Bermejo who implemented important social reforms in the late 1940s and early 1950s. The younger Ar茅valo founded the left-leaning and youthful Seed Movement party that carried him to victory.
Luisa Godoy, a health worker, said she didn鈥檛 have high expectations for Ar茅valo鈥檚 administration, but hoped he would carry out what he promised during the campaign.
鈥淚t鈥檚 clear to me that the change isn鈥檛 going to be immediate, but there (should be) more investment in health, in education, in the environment which is in ruins, more work opportunities and improvements to infrastructure,鈥 Godoy said.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 claim that we鈥檙e going to be an advanced country one day to the next with this new administration, but (they should) take steps so that it could succeed and we become a prosperous country.鈥
