Arrr! Scallywag parties and meddling courts be stickin' their noses in Guatemalan elections, say them fancy observers!
2023-07-19
Avast ye scallywags! Thar be a report from election observers in Guatemala claimin' that them political parties and other rascals be quarrelin' like fools 'bout the results of last month's elections. Arrr, must be the squabbles of landlubbers!
The Organization of American States (OAS) has criticized Guatemalan political parties for unnecessarily prolonging the country's June 25 elections by taking legal action to challenge the results. In a report, the OAS stated that this abuse of legal instruments introduced uncertainty and put the country's democratic stability at risk. The election results, which saw conservative former first lady Sandra Torres and progressive former diplomat Bernardo Arévalo make it to the runoff, went uncertified for over two weeks due to numerous injunctions and a review of challenged vote tallies ordered by the Constitutional Court.The OAS observers noted that some political parties attempted to use isolated errors to cast doubt on the trustworthiness of the election, but after the review, the results were found to be almost identical to the preliminary results. The election was declared successful, with peaceful proceedings and satisfactory transmission of results.
However, legal obstacles continue to arise as the Attorney General's Office alleged that Arévalo's Seed Movement party had committed crimes during its formation. The party's legal status was suspended, but the Constitutional Court granted a preliminary injunction to block the suspension. With the runoff just a month away on August 20, the investigation remains open, creating further uncertainty.
The OAS election mission in Guatemala consisted of 90 observers from 20 countries.