PRAISE FOR GUATEMALAN DEMOCRACY
Arevalo is the son of a former president and pulled off a surprise victory in 2023 on a platform of reform and rooting out corruption in one of the region’s poorest countries.
He immediately faced pushback from Guatemala’s entrenched conservative elite which sought to prevent him from taking office.
Right-wing parties made allegations of electoral fraud, without providing evidence, and found support in Washington from elements of Trump’s “Stop the Steal” movement that refused to acknowledge his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden.
Rubio, however, offered full backing to Arevalo and said they discussed the value of democracy over a dinner Tuesday in Guatemala City’s old town.
“I would like to commend you for your commitment to democracy and to institutions,” Rubio said.
Guatemala also appeals to the Trump administration as it is the most populous country that still recognises Taiwan, the self-governing democracy claimed by China.
Rubio, a longtime hawk on China, said the United States will “do all we can to facilitate more Taiwanese investment in the economy of Guatemala.”
