On Tuesday, the Guatemalan Prosecutor's Office opened 160 boxes with votes from the first round of the presidential elections held on June 25. This happened despite the fact that the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) did not authorize this procedure because it was illegal.
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The decision of the Prosecutor's Office is unprecedented since this Central American country returned to democray in 1986. According to Prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche, the raid is part of an investigation into alleged anomalies in the elections.
In those ballot boxes were votes that Guatemalans cast to elect their president, vice president, legislators and mayors.
"This diligence is being carried out under the strict responsibility of the Prosecutor's Office," TSE Cmmunications Director Luis Ramirez told reporters.
The text reads, "Guatemala: the Corrupts' Pact does not cease and the persecution intensifies. In Guatemala the popular decision that placed Bernardo Arevalo as elected president is increasingly in danger."
Since the social democratic politician Bernardo Arevalo advanced to the runoff for the presidency, Attorney General Consuelo Porras, an official who has been sanctioned by the U.S. for corruption, has implemented actions to disqualify him and his political party SEED.
On Monday, Arevalo called on the Prosecutor's Office authorities to stop "the judicialization against the elected authorities."
On January 14, 2024, Guatemalans expect Arevalo to take office as president for the 2024-2028 period, thus leading the first progressive administration in the history of the Central American nation.