With banners against the president, demonstrators gathered in front of the National Palace of Culture to demand Giammattei's resignation. | Photo: Prensa Libre

Guatemala City, July 11 (RHC)-- In the capital of Guatemala, thousands of people mobilized over the weekend demanding the resignation of President Alejandro Giammattei due to the mishandling of the COVID-19 health crisis.

With banners demanding the resignation of the president, the demonstrators gathered in front of the National Palace of Culture (government office) to demand the resignation of Giammattei and denounce the persecution of the government against activists and opponents of his administration.

The accusations against Giammattei and Health Minister Amelia Flores, were the center of discussion in the Congress of the Central American country by the opposition and civil organizations which qualify the response to the pandemic of the coronavirus, as well as the acquisition of vaccines to face the current outbreak, as abysmal.

Since Friday, the organizers called for a march against the president through social networks with the hashtag #RenunciaGiammattei, which was joined on Saturday by #ElPeorPresidenteDeLaHistoria and #GiammatteiAsesino, in reference to the murder the day before of a young activist and critic of the government.

This Saturday, the Ministry of Health announced that more than half of the country's municipalities are on high alert due to the increase in cases of coronavirus, while in the last 24 hours, the health portfolio recorded 3,009 new infections and 45 deaths from previous dates.

Guatemala has 9,688 deaths due to the coronavirus and 317,311 positive cases since the beginning of the pandemic.