Guatemala’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal has declared the results of this year’s presidential race “unalterable” after public prosecutors openly questioned whether to annul the vote. The prosecutors’ statements caused a domestic and international firestorm and were condemned by the Organisation of American States (OAS) as an attempt to overturn President-elect Bernardo Arevalo’s election victory.
The prosecutors have been accused of obstructing investigations into corruption in the past by the United States. Their recent press conference reiterated their request to strip Arevalo of his political immunity and accused him of improperly gathering signatures for his campaign and mishandling political funds. They also raised the prospect of overturning the presidential election based on their findings. However, the head of the Supreme Election Tribunal, Blanca Alfaro, refuted this possibility and affirmed that the election results were valid and unalterable.
Guatemala, plagued by official corruption, has also seen the closure of a United Nations-backed body fighting impunity in 2021. The presidential race was marred by disqualifications of prominent candidates, and Arevalo himself faced investigations over his participation in a student-led protest movement. Despite these challenges, he secured over 60 percent of the vote in the run-off election and is set to be sworn into office on January 14.
The efforts to uphold the election results have led to protests led by Indigenous leaders across the country. This electoral turmoil follows a pattern of ongoing attempts to undermine the election results, and critics have called out the prosecutors’ actions as an overt effort to overturn the democratic will of the people.
Arevalo won the election on a progressive anti-corruption platform with the Seed Movement party, but his victory has faced continuous challenges and allegations by prosecutors. The international community has condemned these actions as antidemocratic and called for respect for the election results. As of now, Arevalo is set to assume office as the new President of Guatemala.
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