UNITED NATIONS: Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva warned world leaders on the United Nations on Tuesday (Sep 19) of the prospect of a coup in Guatemala, echoing US considerations about dangers to democracy within the Central American nation after final month’s election.
“In Guatemala, there’s a danger of a coup, which might impede the inauguration of the winner of democratic elections,” Lula informed the UN Common Meeting.
Final week, the highest prosecutor’s workplace in Guatemala raided electoral services and opened sealed ballots from the election, wherein anti-graft President-elect Bernardo Arevalo and his Semilla Occasion overwhelmingly got here out on prime. Prosecutors allege irregularities within the registration of Semilla members forward of the vote, which the occasion has denied.
The US ambassador to the Group of American States, Francisco Mora, urged Guatemalan authorities on Monday to finish their “intimidation efforts” focusing on election officers and members of Arevalo’s occasion.
Mora referred to as the raid “an assault on the rule of legislation”.
Arevalo final week suspended his participation within the transition of energy till “vital institutional (and) political circumstances are reestablished.”
Lula’s feedback on Guatemala have been surprisingly according to Washington for a frontrunner who has not all the time seen eye-to-eye with the USA.
In his UN speech, he stated his authorities would proceed to talk out in opposition to the US commerce embargo in opposition to Cuba. He additionally referred to as for the peaceable decision of the conflict in Ukraine by dialogue, and criticised army spending.
Lula stated the continued battle in Ukraine was proof of the lack of credibility of the UN Safety Council, and he slammed multilateral establishments for failing to advance world peace and cut back poverty.
He additionally attacked the Worldwide Financial Fund for not representing poor nations and the World Commerce Group for not averting elevated protectionism on the planet.