Guatemala’s Highest Court Suspends Release of Election Results
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GUATEMALA CITY — In a surprising turn of events, Guatemala’s highest court has suspended the release of official election results, granting a temporary injunction to 10 parties that challenged the outcome of the June 25 vote. The Constitutional Court, in a late-night decision on Saturday, called for a new hearing to review the contested tallies within five days.
The two candidates who emerged as frontrunners in the first round of voting were Sandra Torres and Bernardo Arévalo. As neither of them managed to secure the required 50% threshold, they were expected to face off in a runoff election on August 20 to determine Guatemala’s next president. Torres represents the conservative UNE party and this marks her third attempt at claiming the presidency. Arévalo, on the other hand, is the surprise contender from the progressive Seed Movement party, as he had not been polling among the leading candidates.
The court’s decision to suspend the release of the results was prompted by the need to compare the tallies that were inputted into the electoral system with the numbers from the polling places themselves, in order to ensure an accurate match. If deemed necessary, the court stated that it would order a new count of the challenged ballots.
However, constitutional lawyer Alejandro Balsells cautioned against a recount, stating that it would be detrimental to the electoral process. Balsells argued that the votes counted on election day by the temporarily formed panels at each polling station should be the determining factor.
As a result of the court’s decision, a week after the election, the results remain unofficial for the president, vice president, all seats in congress, and hundreds of local elected positions throughout the country.
Among the parties challenging the results are those of three candidates who were polling among the leaders before election day but ended up receiving less than 8% of the vote each. Interestingly, Torres’ party has also requested a review of the voting tallies.
The court’s decision has sparked protests, with dozens of people gathering outside the court on Saturday night, demanding that their votes be respected and not subject to judgement by the courts. Arévalo, who was among the protesters, adamantly stated that they will not allow the courts to undermine the will of the Guatemalan people.
The temporary suspension of election results has cast a cloud of uncertainty over the future leadership of Guatemala. As the Constitutional Court prepares for a new hearing to review the contested tallies, the entire nation eagerly waits to learn who will be their next president.