US “deeply concerned” by the electoral situation in Guatemala

The United States government assured this Thursday that it was “deeply concerned” about the suspension, in the middle of the electoral process in Guatemala, of the Semilla party of presidential candidate Bernardo Arévalo, which “puts the legitimacy” of the elections at risk.

“The US is deeply concerned about the attempt by the Public Ministry to revoke the legal status of the Semilla party in the midst of the electoral process (…) These actions put at risk the legitimacy of the electoral process at the center of Guatemalan democracy,” warned the State Department spokesman Matthew Miller in a statement.

The announcement this Wednesday ofsuspension of legal personality of the Seed movement, coincided with validation by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal Guatemalan of the preliminary results of the run-off last June, according to which the left-wing candidate Arévalo will face former first lady Sandra Torres in the second round in August.

Miller assured that the United States “welcomes the certification of the results of the first round of elections” in the Central American country, which confirm “the credibility and integrity of the most observed electoral process in the history of Guatemala.”

“The official certified results validate the will of the Guatemalan people expressed in the first round of the June 25 elections. This should lay the foundations for a free and fair second round of elections on August 20 between the two presidential candidates who received the most votes in the first round,” the state spokesman said.

Similarly, Miller added that the US government takes “note of the wide range of voices in Guatemalan society that have expressed concern that the actions of the Public Ministry violate Guatemalan electoral law and basic constitutional protections.”

“The will of the Guatemalan people, expressed through the results of the June 25 elections, must be respected,” the statement concluded.

“We are in the electoral race”

Until last June 25, the surveys did not show Arévalo, a former diplomat and son of former Guatemalan president Juan José Arévalo (1945-1951), as a real contender against the favorite Sandra Torres, however, after the first round of the elections emerged as a surprise rival for the leadership of the country.

The surprise second-place finish for this anti-corruption candidate has led many analysts to believe that he could win the presidency.

Following the action by the Public Ministry, Arévalo said he would challenge the prosecutors’ action against Semilla, which he says violates Guatemalan law, since a political party cannot be suspended in the middle of an election.

“We are in the electoral race, we are moving forward and this corrupt group will not stop us,” he said at a press conference on Thursday.

Soon after, candidate Sandra Torres announced that she would pause her campaign, in solidarity with voters of the center-left Semilla.

international criticism

The disqualification of the Arévalo party also provoked reactions from international organizations and other countries in the region.

The suspension “threatens the basic foundations of democracy,” the European Union electoral mission in Guatemala said in a statement, adding that the courts used “dubious” legal means to interfere in the elections.

For its part, the mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) in Guatemala reiterated “its deep concern about the judicialization of this process, as well as the attempts to not respect the popular will expressed at the polls on Sunday, June 25” in Guatemala.

“The Mission calls for all institutions, strictly adhering to legal regulations, to provide the necessary guarantees so that those who compete in this second round can do so on an equal footing and so that citizens can come freely to express their sovereign will. “, the OAS said in a statement.

The government of Chilean President Gabriel Boric also called for an end to the judicialization of the presidential elections in Guatemala and urged the public powers of the Central American country to guarantee the second round on August 20 with the candidates ratified by the electoral court.

The Chilean Foreign Ministry also expressed in a statement that it views “with concern” the suspension of the party of presidential candidate Bernardo Arévalo.

[Con información de Reuters]

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