Why is the Guatemala attorney general going after the new president?

Despite having the support of millions of Guatemalans, newly installed President Bernardo Arévalo has a clear obstacle — the attorney general’s office and its leader, Consuelo Porras

GUATEMALA CITY -- Despite having the support of millions of Guatemalans, newly installed President Bernardo Arévalo has a clear obstacle — the attorney general's office and its leader, Consuelo Porras.

Arévalo has made a bold promise to clean up corruption in a Central American nation that for years has kept swaths of the countryside marginalized and impoverished. But he already has faced waves of court challenges that sought to stop him from taking office Sunday, and is widely expected to be hit with further legal attacks. Experts and critics say Porras has led the charge.

The president has said he will propose a meeting this week with Porras and will ask for her resignation. She likely will refuse, and Guatemalan law blocks the president from removing the top prosecutor.

Here are some key points as Porras tries to hinder Arévalo in carrying out his progressive agenda, which has widespread public support, particularly among Indigenous communities.

Consuelo Porras, 70, runs the Public Prosecutor's Office and wields all the investigative and prosecutorial power in the country.