Guatemalans Await Results in Election Criticized by the US

[Judi Lynn]

Voting was largely peaceful, unlike the violent first round

Polls show anti-corruption campaigner Arévalo as favorite


By Michael D McDonald
August 20, 2023 at 7:02 PM CDT

Polls have closed in Guatemala’s acrimonious Presidential election runoff which was marred by prosecutor raids on the electoral authority and criticism from the US government.

Results are expected later this evening, and the victor will be sworn in on January 14. Voting was largely peaceful, unlike the first round in which poll workers were doused in gasoline by a mob.

Anti-corruption campaigner Bernardo Arévalo has been the frontrunnersince unexpectedly winning a place in Sunday’s runoff in the June first round. He faced former first lady Sandra Torres who campaigned on boosting welfare spending for the poor.



Presidential Candidate Bernardo Arevalo Holds Campaign Rally
Bernardo Arévalo Photographer: Luis Echeverria/Bloomberg

Arévalo, 64, has clung on amid repeated attempts to disqualify his party and overturn the result, which led US officials to warn that democracy was under threat in the country. The son of a former president, he has promised to create a special cabinet to weed out corruption and increase oversight of government spending in Central America’s largest economy.

All major polls showed him with a wide margin over Torres.

Since reaching the runoff, Arévalo has been investigated by prosecutors who allege his political party, Movimiento Semilla, forged signatures and laundered money during its founding. A lower court ordered the party’s suspension in July, but the country’s top judges overturned that ruling. Arévalo blames corrupt officials who he says are threatened by his anti-graft stance.

More:
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-21/guatemalans-await-results-in-election-criticized-by-the-us