2023-08-20 17:39:41
Guatemalans voted calmly on Sunday to elect a new president after a campaign marred by attempts to sideline candidate Bernardo Arévalo de León, the unexpected center-left favorite leading a crusade against corruption. The nearly 3,500 voting centers were operating normally around noon (6:00 p.m. GMT), without any incidents being reported, according to the OAS observer mission.
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The current electoral process has been the most controversial in Guatemala since the implementation of democracy in 1986 and has been clouded by the role of the Public Ministry (Prosecutor’s Office) which, since July 12, has tried to cancel the Seed Movement and prevent participation of Arevalo de Leon.
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According to experts consulted by EFE, in these elections the continuity of a system that has weakened democracy and has guaranteed impunity for traditional politicians of the Central American country is at stake.
THE CANDIDATES
Sandra Torres Casanova, 67, is an experienced politician who trusts in her alliances with mayors from different regions of the country and in the rural structure that her party has built for more than 15 years to win the election.
Guatemalan presidential candidate Sandra Torres greets her supporters during her campaign closing. (EFE/ Esteban Biba).
/ Stephen Biba
The former first lady lost the 2015 and 2019 ballots and, according to experts, her past linked to corruption cases generates a strong anti-vote in the country’s urban areas.
In the first round, on June 25, Torres Casanova secured first place with almost 900,000 votes, which represented 15% of the electorate.
For his part, Arévalo de León, 64, driven by an anti-corruption proposal and the image of his father, former President Juan José Arévalo Bermejo (1945-1951), surprised on June 25 by winning second place with more than 600,000 votes. , despite the fact that the polls placed him in eighth place.
Presidential candidate Bernardo Arévalo, of the Semilla movement, speaks to his supporters during the closing of his campaign. (EFE/ Esteban Biba).
/ Stephen Biba
His progress caused the Public Ministry, made up of prosecutors sanctioned for corruption by the United States, to initiate a crusade of arrest warrants and attempts to cancel the match for an alleged case of anomalies in the registration process of the Seed Movement in 2018.
In the week prior to the balloting, the polls place Arévalo de León as the favorite with 61% of the intention to vote, while Torres Casanova accumulates 37%.
Growth of the GDP of Guatemala. (AFP).
VOLTAGE AND UNCERTAINTY
Prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche, in charge of the case against Semilla, did not rule out that after the ballot for the presidency he issued arrest warrants and requests for pretrial proceedings against members of the party for the alleged case of corruption.
The Organization of American States (OAS) and the United States Department of State lead the international actors who have called for “respect for the popular will” that is expressed at the polls in the Central American country.
Two days ago, Arévalo de León assured that “after winning the election, the corrupt will do anything” to prevent him from assuming power on January 14.
The winner of the election will assume the Presidency from 2024 to 2028 and will replace the Administration headed by Alejandro Giammattei, a conservative politician who during his government has been linked to dozens of cases of bribery and corruption.
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