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UN raises alarm on attempts to annul Guatemala’s general election results

   December 9, 2023
UN raises alarm on attempts to annul Guatemala’s general election results


UN human rights chief calls “persistent and systematic” attempts to undermine election results “extremely worrying”.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights complained of “persistent and systematic” attempts to undermine the outcome Elections in Guatemala and called for upholding the will of voters after prosecutors sought to overturn President-elect Bernardo Arevalo’s victory.

On Saturday, Volker Turk, UN human rights chief, noted that “Friday’s announcements aimed at annulling the results of the parliamentary elections and calling into question the constitution and existence of the Movimiento Semilla party are extremely worrying.”

“Judicial harassment and intimidation against poll workers and elected officials is unacceptable,” Turk said.

On Friday, prosecutors threatened to annul the victory of Arevalo, who is due to take office on January 14th.

Prosecutor Leonor Morales said the investigation concluded that the election of anti-corruption maverick Arevalo, his vice president and his parliamentarians was “null and void” because of “anomalies” counted in the first round in June.

Arevalo has repeatedly faced a barrage of legal challenges to stop him from assuming the presidency, including attempts to suspend his party.

Guatemala has long struggled to curb official corruption. The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), a United Nations-backed body, was abruptly closed in 2021 after then-President Jimmy Morales accused it of illegal actions.

Arevalo’s surprise triumph after June’s general election and his promise to fight corruption are widely seen in Guatemala as alarming the establishment political elite.

In a news conference on Friday, prosecutors reiterated their call for Arevalo to be stripped of his political immunity, a move that could expose him to criminal prosecution. They accused him of illegally collecting signatures for his presidential campaign and mismanaging political funds.

But after prosecutors moved to annul the election results amid accusations of an “attempted coup,” Guatemala’s electoral court insisted Friday that the results were “unchangeable.”

Blanca Alfaro, the head of the Supreme Electoral Court, reiterated that Arevalo and his vice president Karin Herrera would take office as planned. “There is currently no possibility for the Supreme Electoral Court to repeat the elections.”

Protests also broke out across the country to uphold the results.

“It is encouraging that people are standing up for their rights and resisting what they perceive as theft of their political will, despite the long list of judicial and political actions by some authorities that clearly undermine the integrity of the electoral process and violate the rule of law and democracy.” said Turk.

“It is crucial to protect democracy and respect for human rights.”





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