Anti-graft crusader Arevalo wins Guatemala presidency
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Dr Bernardo Arevalo scored 59 per cent of the vote, with 95 per cent of ballots counted.
PHOTO: AFP
GUATEMALA CITY – Guatemalan anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arevalo was voted in as president on Sunday, preliminary results showed, a victory many voters hope will reverse widespread allegations of graft and the authoritarianism of previous administrations.
Dr Arevalo scored 59 per cent of the vote, with 95 per cent of ballots counted, according to official results from the TSE national election body.
His rival, the former first lady Sandra Torres, came in second with 36 per cent of the vote as of Sunday night.
He assumes power as violence and food insecurity roil the country, triggering fresh waves of migration. Guatemalans now represent the largest number of Central Americans seeking to enter the United States.
After media outlets called the election outcome, some of Dr Arevalo’s supporters took to the streets to celebrate. Many Guatemalans also said they hoped his win will herald a better future.
“I voted for Arevalo because he is the only option we have. Voting for Sandra is backing the same people who came before,” said Mr Roberto Alvarez, a 74-year-old accountant, after casting his ballot in Guatemala City.
Ms Torres cancelled her post-vote press conference scheduled for Sunday evening, the local media reported.
Dr Arevalo unexpectedly emerged from political obscurity to build a large anti-graft movement with his Semilla party, after many other opposition candidates were barred from running.
His victory marks a repudiation of Guatemala’s established political parties that wield huge influence.
When Dr Arevalo landed a surprise second-place finish in June’s first-round of voting, his party was briefly suspended at the request of a prominent prosecutor before Guatemala’s top court reversed the ban.
Political tensions
Supporters of Dr Bernardo Arevalo celebrate winning the presidential run-off election in Guatemala City on Aug 20.
PHOTO: AFP
There were no reports of violence or disorderliness as polls closed.
A key representative of the Organisation of American States (OAS), which has a team of 86 election observers in Guatemala, said the voting had gone smoothly. Head of the mission Eladio Loizaga said the election had “fulfilled all the demanding obligations”.
The election is being closely watched by the international community, including the US, after campaigning was marred by attempts from some officials to remove Dr Arevalo and his Semilla party from the race.
Outgoing conservative President Alejandro Giammattei has vowed to ensure an orderly vote and transition of power.
But many Guatemalans remain sceptical, having seen the government in recent years expel investigators from a UN-backed anti-corruption body and target judges and anti-corruption campaigners, many of whom fled into exile. REUTERS, AFP
