On July 14, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal of Guatemala had planned to announce the results at 12:00 local time but instead released a statement, appealing to the confidence of the electorate.
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"We are making our best effort to continue guaranteeing the custody of the vote. Continue trusting in the electoral authority", adds the TSE, quoting its presiding magistrate, Irma Palencia.
According to institutional sources, the court is still discussing challenges presented by political parties' prosecutors who disagree with the preliminary results of the elections.
The officialization of the results was pending after last July 1st the Constitutional Court, the highest court of the Central American country, ordered a new revision of the electoral records.
However, the decision of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) comes minutes after the Guatemalan Attorney General's Office announced the legal suspension of Semilla (Seed), Arevalo's party based on a criminal case.
According to official statements, the TSE was unaware of the matter and, as scheduled in the electoral calendar, ordered the presidential run-off election for next August 20.
The candidate Bernardo Arévalo de León (center-left), of the now illegalized party, expressed himself in his social networks defending his party and political position.
Sandra Torres, candidate of the National Unity of Hope (UNE, conservative), is already launching campaign messages on her social networks, despite the fact that the electoral law prevents her from doing so before the official announcement of the results.
Last Monday (July 10), the Supreme Court stated that the Electoral Boards complied with what was ordered by the Constitutional Court (CC) in the scrutiny review hearings.
Before hearing the ruling, the TSE had assured that the established legal procedure would be followed so that the electoral results could be made official and the next stage of the electoral process could begin.