The two candidates who will contest the presidency of Guatemala in a second round on August 20, Sandra Torres and Bernardo Arévalo, started their campaigns. In the history of Guatemala, there had never been such a chaotic electoral process and one that strongly put democracy at risk.
After a series of delays that meant that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal would take 17 days to make the two candidates in the second round official, the population took to the streets with banners, slogans and drums to defend your vote and the electoral process. Former politicians spoke out on social networks, and the indigenous population called a national strike to defend the electoral process as a nation.
“Semilla will undoubtedly reach the presidency“
The general public and followers of the Semilla party went to the outskirts of the Public Ministry to demand the resignation of the attorney general, María Consuelo Porras, and the head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity (FECI), Rafael Curruchiche, and to demonstrate their discontent because said entity tried to eliminate its candidate, Bernardo Arevalo, of the elections.
“lActually, for us it was a moment of joy when we saw that it went to the second round, because nobody expected it. We voted from the heart, we knew we would vote for the right one, not for the least worsthe told RFI Ana Zamora, 36 years old.
Ana stressed that as a family, they voted for the same candidate, but they have a concern: “We know that we must fight with our voice and presence so that the elections are not stolen from us. I think that with the type of campaign that he has carried out, he has done very well, and now he must invest in the interior of the Republic. Semilla will undoubtedly reach the presidency“.
The vote “will be attracted to UNE“
Ovidio Monzón, 64, is a supporter of the National Unity of Hope (UNE) party, which has as a candidate Sandra Torres. According to him, “the vote in this second round will be attracted to the UNE. We are very confident that this can happen since at the national level 19 departments of the 22 that have been won. We are very satisfied with the work that has been done.“.
Monzón stressed that first you have to “maintain the vote that has already been had, which has been a hard vote for many years in favor of the UNE, and secondly, attract that null and blank vote that participated in the elections, and make a call to the people who did not come out to vote“.
Euphoria and skepticism continue to be maintained in the population. Both supporters urge citizens to find out before going to the polls on August 20, while others promote that the population continue to demonstrate and be organized and alert.
