The Organization of American States (OAS) has expressed its concern over the Guatemalan Constitutional Court's (CSJ) decision to continue reviewing the results of the June 25 elections,
causing delays in determining the candidates for the August 20 runoff.
Preliminary results showed that anti-corruption candidate Bernando Arevalo secured 11.8% of the vote, surpassing expectations and earning a place on the upcoming ballot. Former first lady Sandra Torres led the pack with 15.8% of the vote.
Last weekend, the CSJ ordered a review of the votes following a request from a coalition of nine right-wing parties, including Torres' party, which qualified for the second round. They raised concerns of possible "fraud" and requested a comparison of the results.
The OAS, however, stated that their mission verified that no serious irregularities were found, and there were no significant changes compared to the preliminary results. They issued a statement criticizing the decision to suspend the results.
On Thursday, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal announced that the preliminary results remained unchanged, and the official final results for the candidates competing in the August 20 runoff, Torres and Arévalo, would be announced the following week. However, on Friday night, the CSJ extended the suspension of the results for an additional 10 days.
The electoral process in Guatemala has faced strong criticism from both international and national organizations due to the unprecedented suspension of the official results. The OAS emphasized that this extension deprives the candidates of crucial campaign days and hampers citizens' ability to make informed voting decisions.
The OAS urged Guatemalan authorities to proceed with the election process promptly to ensure a fair and transparent outcome. Photo by Rigostar, Wikimedia commons.