With more than 90% of the tally sheets processed, the Guatemalan people will have to vote again, since no candidate reached the 50% plus 1 required to be elected for President.
Related:
Electoral Process in Guatemala Full of Abstentionism and Null Votes
According to the TSE’s preliminary results page, 115,783 with 97,837 tally sheets processed out of a total of 122,293 (94.6767% %), the National Unity of Hope (UNE) party leads the scrutiny with 823,612 (15.4303%). In second place is the Semilla party with 641,117 votes (12.0112%), followed by Vamos with 418,379 votes (7.8383%).
Thus, the presidential candidates Sandra Torres (UNE) and Bernardo Arévalo (Semilla) are emerging as the ones who would dispute the second round in August.
According to official statements, a second round of voting will be held on August 20 with the two candidates receiving the most votes.
Preliminary election results in Guatemala are a total shocker.
Polls were way off.
In second place is center-left opposition politician Bernardo Arévalo from the Semilla party.
I have to admit I did *not* see this coming. Semilla has never done well outside urban areas before. pic.twitter.com/6Hs9r8zzjv
— Will Freeman (@WillGFreeman)
June 26, 2023
“I am very grateful, first to God and then to the people who have always backed us and supported us,” Torres said at a press conference at a hotel in Guatemala City.
“Our deep and total gratitude to the people who gave us their vote of confidence. Thank you for your courage and for stepping forward,” Arévalo said through his Twitter account.
Of the 9.3 million Guatemalans called to the polls, about 40% did not vote. In the previous elections, in 2019, abstention was 38% in the first round and 58% in the second round.
