Guatemala’s prosecutor for electoral crimes has appealed to the Supreme Court of Justice to remove the immunity of five magistrates from the country’s top electoral authority. This request comes as a result of fraud allegations made by the loser of the August 20 presidential election. This development highlights a recurring issue of elections that are initially deemed free and fair being brought to court. It is important to note that President-elect Bernardo Arévalo is already in the midst of the official transition with outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei.
The National Unity of Hope party, led by former first lady Sandra Torres, filed a fraud complaint following the election. The party’s lawyer, Carlos López, claims that 164 precinct tallies contained duplicated votes. Consequently, the party is demanding an investigation into the Supreme Electoral Tribunal’s magistrates for allegedly failing to fulfill their duties.
In addition, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal has officially granted credentials to Arévalo and his running mate Karin Herrera, formally recognizing them as president-elect and vice president-elect.
To accompany this news, a picture of Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arévalo posing with the presidential election winners’ certificate in Guatemala City on September 5, 2023, is provided.
Amidst these ongoing developments, President Giammattei has called for a peaceful transition of power to his leftist successor.
Tribunal President Irma Palencia has emphasized the importance of respecting the rule of law, separation of powers, and civil rights of all Guatemalans.
Arévalo, in turn, commends the magistrates for safeguarding the democratic values of the country and protecting the election process against attempts at disruption.
Moving forward, it is crucial to respect the decision that has been made by the people and honor their votes.
Yesterday, Arévalo and Giammattei had their first transition meeting with the presence of Organization of American States Secretary General Luis Almagro. During this meeting, Giammattei openly acknowledged that “Dr. Arévalo will be the next president for the Seed party that won the elections.”
Previously, Arévalo had accused forces within Giammattei’s government of attempting a coup d’état to prevent him from assuming power. The leader of the Organization of American States’ electoral observation mission expressed concern that the legal actions taken since the election were aimed at obstructing Arévalo from taking office.
Over the weekend, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal prevented the suspension of Arévalo’s Seed Movement party, which had been requested by prosecutors. These prosecutors allege that there were irregularities in the collection of required signatures years ago to register the party. Importantly, Arévalo had already reported these issues to authorities before the election.
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