EU: Concerns about post-election crisis in Guatemala

The EU has expressed concern about the political crisis following the first round of the presidential elections in Guatemala.

With a view to the upcoming runoff election on August 20, the EU in Brussels called on the institutions of the Central American country to respect the result of the first round. “The EU is deeply concerned by ongoing attempts to undermine the integrity of the election results,” it said in a statement.

Sandra Torres vs. Bernardo Arevalo

The runoff will see former first lady Sandra Torres and social democrat Bernardo Arévalo, who has made a name for himself as a fighter against corruption. The publication of the June 25 final results was initially halted due to complaints from other parties. On Wednesday, the electoral authorities finally confirmed that Torres and Arévalo would be included in the runoff election.

Shortly before, however, a court ordered Arévalo’s party Movimiento Semilla (Movement Seed) to be revoked because of irregularities in the registration of members. According to other lawyers, the court has no authority to do so.

Also, according to electoral law in Guatemala, none of the parties involved may be banned while the election is in progress. The situation in the country with 17 million inhabitants is tense.

“The intention is to prevent our participation in the second round,” Arévalo told a press conference. A corrupt minority is trying desperately to manipulate the institutions for their own purposes. The prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche, who pushed the lawsuit against Movimento Semilla, was put on a list of corrupt actors by the US government in 2022. Several candidates had already been excluded before the first ballot.