Guatemalan presidential candidate Bernardo Arévalo. Photo: Reuters.
Bernardo Arévalo, a leftist presidential candidate in the Guatemalan election, which has been marked by numerous controversies, has urged the protection of the people’s expressed will at the polls.
According to the results of the first round of the presidential elections held on June 25, Arévalo, presidential candidate for the Movimiento Semilla party, came in second. He was set to compete against Sandra Torres, former first lady and candidate of the conservative National Union for Hope; however, at the request of the right wing, the electoral court mandated a review of the results. This review has now raised the possibility of the elections being canceled.
On Wednesday, July 5, Arévalo, in statements to the press, emphasized the need to “defend the vote, and respect the will of the people that was expressed in the ballots on June 25.”
“I ask everyone to remain attentive to all the legal tricks which are violating the laws; but, since [the violations are] being committed by judicial institutions, it is confusing the people,” Arévalo said to Radio Punto radio station.
In response to a question from Radio France International, Arévalo stated that the parties that requested the review are “the parties that are part of the same corrupt political class that has entrenched itself through elections for 20 years.”
“We came in second place, we went to the runoff,” Arévalo added. “And this is a surprise for which they [the right] were not prepared, and which makes them realize that their whole corruption network is at risk, because they will lose everything if there is a government that they will not be able to control.”
Last weekend, based on demands from several parties, the Constitutional Court of Guatemala ruled that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal could not officialize the results of the elections without first reviewing the electoral records again.
However, the Electoral Observation Mission of the Organization of American States released a statement declaring that the number of complaints filed against the elections was remarkably low. Therefore, according to the mission, there are insufficient grounds to justify the ruling of the Constitutional Court.
Featured image: (HispanTV)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/KZ/BLA
