ROADS were blocked across Guatemala on Thursday as tens of thousands of workers took part in a national strike to demand the resignation of scandal-ridden President Alejandro Giammettei.

Anger erupted after well-known anti-corruption prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval was sacked by Attorney General Maria Porras last week.

Mr Sandoval claims that he was dismissed after Ms Porras blocked him from investigating corruption cases linked to the president.

The protests, backed by Guatemala’s indigenous community, were the largest seen in the country since 2015.

Demonstrators set fire to tyres and threw paint over police deployed to protect government buildings.

“Today we are in front of the presidential palace, but a president does not live here; a traitor does,” said opposition legislator Samuel Perez.

Mr Sandoval, who headed the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity, was forced to flee the country last weekend.

He alleges that Guatemala is plagued by corruption at senior levels of society, including the government, the judiciary and the presidency.

Ms Porras has accused Mr Sandoval of “selective justice,” claiming that he abused his position to target political opponents.