The European Union election observation mission (EU) in Guatemala expressed this Friday its concern about the “harassment” against officials and politicians on the way to the ballot for the presidency on August 20.
“We are concerned about the harassment and harassment against the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, its officials, with a paraphernalia of security equipment that is illegal,” Manuel Sánchez de Nogués, deputy head of the EU electoral observation mission, told EFE.
Also read: European Union observers deploy electoral mission in Guatemala
Sánchez de Nogués also criticized “the chasing” against the Movimiento Semilla party, which is under investigation for an alleged case of corruption, with which the Public Ministry (MP) sought to cancel it prior to the ballot for the presidency.
The words of the head of the mission were given during the deployment of 40 EU electoral observers to accompany the electoral process in Guatemala in the 22 departments (provinces) of the Central American country.
The head of the mission added that he hopes that the ballot for the presidency will develop “without any kind of interference” and regretted that in recent weeks arrests have been ordered against officials of the electoral court and a raid on the headquarters of Semilla.
“We hope that the citizens, who already demonstrated their firm commitment to democracy on 6/25, can choose freely and without interference between the two candidates who have gone on to the second presidential round” – deputy head of the MOEUE #Guatemala #ElectionsGT2023 pic.twitter.com/vTEeozBgvD
— MOE UE Guatemala 2023 (@moeUEgt2023) July 28, 2023
Ballotage in Guatemala
The path to the ballot in Guatemala has set off national and international alerts because since July 13, the Public Ministry (MP, Prosecutor’s Office) has sought to cancel the Seed Movement, a party that nominates the academic Bernardo Arévalo De León, for a alleged case of false signatures in their registration process in 2018.
In the first round on June 25, Arévalo De León advanced to the balloting in a surprising way after obtaining second place, only behind the winner Sandra Torres Casanova, from the National Unity of Hope (UNE).
The entity headed by the country’s attorney general, Consuelo Porras, sanctioned by the United States in 2021, accuses Semilla of an alleged case of false signatures during its registration process. In addition to requesting its cancellation, it also raided its headquarters on July 21 and issued arrest warrants against two of its members.
For the moment, the second electoral round is still on because the Constitutional Court, the country’s highest court, protected Semilla on July 14, to avoid its cancellation.
