Guatemala - July 2023

Concern over the integrity of Guatemala’s presidential race arose after the Constitutional Court suspended the certification of the first-round electoral results pending the review of ballots, after rivalling parties complained about alleged inconsistencies in votes. The measure was widely criticised as unwarranted. After the delay in announcing official results, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal confirmed that Bernardo Arevalo and Sandra Torres would face each other in a run-off. In the weeks after the first-round, upon the request of a special anti-graft prosecutor, a lower court granted the suspension of Arevalo’s Semilla party. Also at the request of the anti-graft prosecutor, warrants were granted to carry out a raid on Semilla party’s headquarters as part of an investigation into the authenticity of signatures during the process of the party’s registration, last year. Prosecutors also carried out searches of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, actions denounced by the UN, EU and Guatemalan protesters, particularly due to the legal framework that prohibits the suspension of a political party while an electoral process is underway. The Constitutional Court blocked the suspension of Semilla party so the runoff can go ahead. 

Sources: France 24, Al Jazeera, Open Democracy, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights