US raises concerns about acts to 'undermine' Guatemala's democracy

FILE PHOTO: Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arevalo attends a press conference after prosecutors ordered a temporary suspension of Semilla party's legal registration, in Guatemala City, Guatemala August 28, 2023. REUTERS/Cristina Chiquin

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday congratulated Bernardo Arevalo on his election as the next president of Guatemala, but added the United States remained "concerned with continued actions by those who seek to undermine Guatemala's democracy."

Guatemala's supreme electoral tribunal on Monday ratified the victory of center-left candidate Arevalo in the country's presidential election, although a new bid to suspend the president-elect's party sowed fresh confusion about the fraught process.