Possible Rewrite: Suspected Coup Attempt: Guatemala Faces Election Challenge against Bernardo Arévalo

International organizations have referred to a legal challenge against Guatemala's election of an anti-corruption leader as an "attempted coup". Bernardo Arévalo, who is set to become president in January, had the election result declared void by the country's prosecutor's office on Friday. The European Union and the Organization of American States criticized this move and called for a peaceful transfer of power. Arévalo himself described the prosecutor's actions as a coup attempt. His victory in August was seen as a rejection of Guatemala's corrupt political elite. However, his opponents have repeatedly challenged the election result, accusing his party of vote-rigging. The allegations have been denied by Arévalo, international observers, and his supporters, who allege the prosecutors are politically motivated. Pro-democracy protesters have been demonstrating in support of Arévalo and demanding the resignation of the attorney general and other officials. The prosecutor declared the August election result void on the grounds that incorrect voting forms were used during the first round in June. The head of the Guatemalan electoral commission disagreed with this decision, asserting that the result was final and Arévalo would be inaugurated as planned. This intervention follows previous attempts to suspend Arévalo's party, which were seen as an effort to prevent his inauguration. The EU foreign policy chief labeled the election fraud allegations as baseless and characterized Friday's announcement as a politically motivated coup. He called for a peaceful transition of power and announced targeted sanctions against those responsible for the actions. The Organization of American States criticized the prosecutor's intervention, deeming it typical of dictatorships instead of democracies.