2023-08-21 02:03:45
Although, at first, the trend seemed to favor the candidate and former first lady Sandra Torres, not many minutes passed before the balance tipped towards Bernardo Arévalo, the representative of the seed movement. With almost 100% of the minutes counted, Arévalo is the new president of Guatemala.
The candidate Bernardo Arévalo was located with more than 58% and votes greater than 2,435,000. On the other hand, the candidate for Unes reached a support of more than 1,547,000, equal to 37%, further reducing her chances of being the first woman to reach the position of president.
Although it was estimated to know a clearer scenario around 10:00 pm, the count advanced faster than expected, while the statistics changed minute by minute. Shortly before the electoral authorities closed the polling stations, the now president-elect had urged the nation to come closer to voting.
Archive of the presidential candidate, Bernardo Arévalo, during a campaign event. | Photo: Archyde.com / Cristina Chiquin
“Democracy needs you, join the voice of the people and make yourself heard so they don’t decide for you. Less than 1 hour left, vote!” she tweeted on her X (formerly Twitter) account.
The almost 3,500 voting centers functioned normally during the day, without “significant incidents” being reported, said the president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), Irma Palencia, who stated that there was a “historic percentage of participation.”
The son of a president who some consider to have “left his mark,” Arévalo raises hopes for transformation in a country permeated by poverty, violence, and corruption, which lead thousands of Guatemalans to emigrate each year. These will be precisely the main challenges to be faced by the incoming head of state.
Sandra Torres (I) and Bernardo Arévalo (R) the two candidates who competed for the presidency of Guatemala in the second round | Photo: With rights managed by AFP
SEMANA consulted with the expert in Latin American politics, Augusto Grilli, prior to the conference, regarding the panorama in the Central American territory. “The situation and the role of judges and prosecutors in electoral matters is very delicate; there is even a concrete threat that they may want to annul the participation of the political structure of Arévalo, once these elections have been held”.
For the analyst, this scenario “would lead to a very delicate situation for democratic institutions. Everything remains to be seen, ”he explained.
Efraín Boch, a 47-year-old truck driver from the indigenous town of San Juan Sacatepéquez, also called for the new president to “attack corruption.”
In her third ballot, Sandra Torres had the “silent” support of the right-wing president, Alejandro Giammattei, and the business elite allied with the Executive.
Social Democratic presidential candidate Sandra Torres. -REUTERS/Cristina Chiquin | Photo: REUTERS
Torres leads the National Unity of Hope (UNE), a center-left party that has turned to the right in recent years. It is socially conservative, but at the same time it promised direct aid to the poor, who represent 60% of the population.
The Supreme Court accepted his request and ordered the TSE to “take measures to guarantee [el correcto] entry of data into the computer system” and allow the prosecutors of each party to take photos of the minutes of the voting tables.
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