Guatemala holds general elections without clear favorite

Guatemalans will participate in a general election on June 25 with no clear favorite among the candidates.

Sandra Torres, Zury Ríos, and Edmond Mulet are seen as having the best chances of reaching the presidency or advancing to the second round.

Around 9.4 million eligible voters will cast their ballots for the president, vice-president, congressional deputies, mayors, and members of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen).

If none of the presidential candidates secures an absolute majority on June 25, a second round of voting will take place on August 20.

The polling stations, totaling 24,427 and distributed across 3,837 voting centers, will open at 07:00 local time and close at 17:00 local time.

The electoral roll comprises 9,361,068 people who will exercise their voting rights for the 2024-2028 term.

Although voting is mandatory, there are no sanctions for non-compliance in practice.

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) has approved 23 presidential formulas, four more than in 2019.

For the first time, a computer system called the Transmission of Preliminary Results (TREP) will be used in these elections.

While some issues were encountered during its purchase and a recent simulation, the Departmental Electoral Board of Guatemala and the Central District Board have been authorized to use an alternate computer system for the vote count without restrictions.

Preliminary results will be released starting from 21:00 local time on June 25, and scrutiny review hearings will be conducted from June 26 to 30.

The TSE anticipates the participation of over 20,000 national and international observers, including missions from the Organization of American States (OAS) and the European Union, in these elections.