Guatemala's Arevalo slams 'perverse' bid to scrap election result

People march during a protest in support of democracy and to demand a peaceful democratic transition of power, in Guatemala City, Guatemala, December 7, 2023. REUTERS/Cristina Chiquin/File photo

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) -Guatemala's President-elect Bernardo Arevalo on Friday forcefully rejected a legal maneuver from prosecutors to invalidate his election triumph, calling the effort "perverse" and an "attempted coup."

Ever since anti-corruption crusader Arevalo did much better than expected in June's first-round election, qualifying for the decisive August runoff, he and his center-left Seed Movement party have faced a series of investigations from the attorney general's office, which has alleged irregularities in the party's registration several years ago.