Guatemala’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) on Thursday suspended the political party of president-elect Bernardo Arevalo for a second time, barring it from all activity over alleged irregularities with its registration.
The same body had suspended Arevalo’s Seed party in August, executing an order of criminal court judge Fredy Orellana.
That move, after elections unexpectedly won by 65-year-old Arevalo, prompted him to denounce an attempted “coup d’etat.”
The Central American country’s top electoral court subsequently lifted the party’s disqualification pending the completion of the official electoral cycle, including all appeals, on October 31.
Now that the period has ended, the TSE said Thursday it was reinstating the suspension in compliance with Orellana’s order.
TSE spokesman Luis Gerardo Ramirez told journalists the decision meant that the party was forbidden from performing any party activity including campaigning, signing up new members or sending or receiving money.
The TSE did not specify the period of the suspension, which would also hamper the party’s work in Congress.
Arevalo told radio Emisoras Unidas on Thursday: “We must continue to resist this attack on democracy, peacefully, and within the framework of the Constitution.”
Arevalo, the son of former reformist president Juan Jose Arevalo, is set to take office in January. The TSE has previously said that his election victory was legal and not affected by the moves against Seed.
Seed is under investigation by the public prosecutor’s office, led by Attorney General Consuelo Porras, for alleged irregularities when it registered as a political party.
The investigation itself is led by Rafael Curruchiche, who with Porras and Orellana is on a US list of “corrupt actors.”
The moves against Seed has ignited mass protests by Guatemalans demanding the resignation of all three officials.
Arevalo had campaigned against entrenched corruption by the political establishment, a message that resonated with voters seeking fresh faces in power.
He is set to succeed outgoing President Alejandro Giammettei, ending 12 years of right-wing rule.