2023 Guatemalan general election

2023 Guatemalan general election

← 2019 25 June 2023 (2023-06-25) (first round)
20 August 2023 (2023-08-20) (second round)
2027 →
Opinion polls
Presidential election
 
Candidate Bernardo Arévalo Sandra Torres
Party Semilla UNE
Running mate Karin Herrera Romeo Guerra
Popular vote 2,442,718 1,567,664
Percentage 60.91% 39.09%


President before election

Alejandro Giammattei
Vamos

Elected President

Bernardo Arévalo
Semilla

Legislative election

All 160 seats in Congress
81 seats needed for a majority
Party Leader % Seats +/–
Vamos Víctor Valenzuela 18.69 39 +22
UNE Adim Maldonado 15.85 28 −24
Semilla Jonathan Menkos 14.61 23 +16
Cabal Julio Héctor Estrada 7.96 18 +18
VIVA Evelyn Morataya 5.89 11 +4
ValorUnionist Álvaro Arzú Escobar 4.84 12 0
VOS Orlando Blanco 3.78 4 +4
Todos Felipe Alejos 3.60 6 −1
WinaqURNG Sonia Gutiérrez 2.67 1 −6
PPN Nadia de León Torres 2.50 3 +3
BIEN Fidel Reyes Lee 2.38 4 −4
Victoria Juan Carlos Rivera 2.17 3 −1
Blue Jorge Villagrán 1.95 2 +2
Elephant Rodrigo Pellecer 1.87 2 +2
CREO Óscar Chinchilla 1.66 3 −3
Change Jorge Baldizón 1.02 1 +1
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.
President of the Congress before President of the Congress after
Shirley Rivera
Vamos
Samuel Pérez
Semilla

General elections were held in Guatemala on 25 June 2023 to elect the president and vice president, all 160 seats in Congress, all 20 members of the Central American Parliament, and mayors and councils for all the country's 340 municipalities. Incumbent president Alejandro Giammattei was constitutionally prohibited from running for a second four-year term.[1] However, as no presidential candidate obtained over 50 percent of the vote in the first round on 25 June 2023, a second round was held between the top two finishers on 20 August 2023: Congressman Bernardo Arévalo (the son of former president Juan José Arévalo) of the Movimiento Semilla and Sandra Torres, a former first lady representing the National Unity of Hope (UNE) party.[2] Arévalo defeated Torres in the second round with nearly 61 percent of the vote in what was seen as a landslide.[3] The ruling Vamos party won the largest number of seats in Congress.[4]

The certification of the first round results by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal was delayed after the Constitutional Court granted an injunction to parties who challenged the results. On 12 July, the Public Prosecution Service (MP) announced that Semilla was suspended for alleged cases of false signatures to establish the party. This action would have prohibited Arévalo's participation in the second round. The following day, the Constitutional Court reversed the suspension, paving the way for the second round of the presidential election to proceed.

President Alejandro Giammattei congratulated Arévalo for his win in the runoff, promising an orderly transition once the results are certified. A key representative of the Organization of American States (OAS), which has a team of 86 election observers in Guatemala, said the runoff voting had gone smoothly. Torres and the National Unity of Hope did not accept the electoral result and alleged electoral fraud in favor of Arévalo.[5][6]

On 12 September 2023, the Public Prosecution Service opened the boxes containing the electoral ballots. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal condemned the decision and described it as "illegal". The attorney general's office stated that there are "several investigations" against the electoral process.[7] Legally, it is not possible to open electoral boxes and it is only valid with those contested within the time established by law.[8]

On 8 December 2023, the Attorney General's office found "irregularities" in the presidential election and requested that the results be annulled. Prosecutors José Rafael Curruchiche and Leonor Eugenia Morales Lazo announced that they found "altered vote counts" inside ballot boxes and claimed the boxes were not properly secured. Lazo said the irregularities should annul the election for president, Vice President, and Congress.[9] On 14 December, the Constitutional Court, in a 4–1 decision, upheld the results of the election, ordered the Congress to "guarantee" the inauguration of Arévalo, and rejected the moves of the Public Prosecutor to have the elections nullified.[10] However, challenges in the Congress led to delays in the inauguration, which finally took place in the early morning of 15 January.[11]

  1. ^ Oliva, William (7 March 2018). "Jimmy Morales dice que le gustaría gobernar otro período" [Jimmy Morales says he would like to govern another term]. Prensa Libre (Guatemala) (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 5 April 2023. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  2. ^ Abbott, Jeff (14 August 2023). "Guatemala presidential election: Unraveling the final candidates' platforms". Al Jazeera. Archived from the original on 17 August 2023. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  3. ^ "Arevalo wins Guatemala presidency in landslide amid hopes for change". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 21 August 2023. Retrieved 21 August 2023.
  4. ^ Harrison, Chase (26 June 2023). "Six Numbers to Understand Guatemala's Surprising 2023 General Election Results". AS/COA. Retrieved 16 December 2023.
  5. ^ "UNE de Sandra Torres denuncia fraude electoral en Guatemala". Deutsche Welle (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 26 August 2023.
  6. ^ "La UNE sigue sin aceptar resultados de elecciones y señala "ilegalidad" en su oficialización". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). 28 August 2023. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
  7. ^ "Feci abre cajas electorales durante allanamiento en el Parque de la Industria y el fiscal Curruchiche justifica decisión pese al rechazo del TSE". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). 12 September 2023. Archived from the original on 12 September 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  8. ^ "¿Se puede abrir las cajas electorales?". Agencia Ocote (in Spanish). 5 July 2023. Archived from the original on 10 October 2023. Retrieved 12 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Guatemala Crisis Deepens as Officials Claim Election Invalid". Yahoo News. 8 December 2023. Retrieved 8 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Guatemala top court to Congress: 'guarantee' Arevalo inauguration". Yahoo News. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  11. ^ Menchu, Sofia (14 January 2024). "Tensions high outside Guatemala Congress as inauguration sessions delayed". Reuters. Retrieved 14 January 2024.

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