Indigenous leader of Guatemalan protests says they are defending democracy after election

By SONIA PÉREZ D.
Associated Press

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — One of the leaders of the nationwide protests that have paralyzed much of Guatemalan commerce for nearly two weeks is a young one-time law student who is now leader of one of the country’s most important Indigenous organizations. Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei has tried to draw the president-elect into a dialogue aimed at ending the protests. But Luis Pacheco says that it isn’t the president-elect’s call to make. He says that Giammattei could end the demonstrations by meeting their demands. This month’s protests have been the largest public display rejecting the administration’s questioning of the country’s presidential election results.