Guatemala’s electoral court sets date for presidential runoff elections

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal of Guatemala (TSE) has confirmed that the presidential runoff election will be held on August 20.

However, the official results of the June 25 elections have not been announced yet.

The TSE stated that they are engaged in logistical preparations for the second round, as outlined in TSE Decree of Convocation number 1-2023.

The TSE had initially planned to announce the firm results on July 14 but instead released a statement on social media, asking for the public’s trust.

They emphasized their commitment to safeguarding the integrity of the vote and urged the electorate to maintain faith in the electoral authority.

The court is currently addressing challenges raised by political parties in relation to the preliminary election results.

Guatemala’s Semilla party has been allegedly suspended following a request by the Public Ministry (Prosecutor’s Office) due to allegations of corruption.

A criminal judge endorsed this request from the Prosecutor’s Office.

Rafael Curruchiche, a prosecutor who had previously faced sanctions from the United States for fabricating cases against former authorities, announced the suspension.

The decision is based on the “Corrupción Semilla” case, which involves alleged false signatures.

The suspension raises questions about the candidacy of Bernardo Arévalo de León, who had advanced to the second round of the presidential elections held on June 25.

This suspension was then relativized again afterwards so that as it looks at present, Semilia is admitted.

Meanwhile, Sandra Torres, the candidate of the conservative National Unity of Hope party (UNE), has already started campaigning on social media, despite legal restrictions.

Several parties have raised concerns about irregularities in the elections, and the Constitutional Court intervened to prevent the TSE from finalizing the results until a comparison of the electoral records was conducted.

This procedure has been completed and has not revealed significant changes from the preliminary results.