Delayed Guatemalan election results to be made official next week

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – Official results from Guatemala’s first-round presidential election late last month will be released next week, the country’s electoral court announced on Thursday, following a extended delay triggered by challenges from parties.

A court spokesperson told Reuters that final results in the presidential race from the June 25 vote did not change.

The preliminary results from the first-round election showed Sandra Torres of the center-left National Unity of Hope (UNE) party with 15.8% of the vote, and Bernardo Arevalo of the Seed Movement party, also center left, with 11.8% support.

Both are set to participate in a decisive August 20 runoff vote since no candidate secured a simple majority.

Nine parties, including UNE, challenged the first-round results alleging votes were manipulated, prompting the country’s top court to order a controversial ballot review. International organizations and foreign governments swiftly expressed concerns over the review.

Earlier this week, the Washington-based Organization of American States said it was returning its observer mission to Guatemala to oversee the process.

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