OAS Presents Recommendations for the Presidential Runoff Election in Guatemala and Announces It Will Observe the August Election

The mission of 90 specialists and observers from 20 countries, deployed on 13 June and headed by Eladio Loizaga, observed 1,005 polling stations on 25 June and reported that election day was generally peaceful, though violence forced the suspension of voting in two municipalities. It records that of 41,430 candidates registered by 22 June, 10 per cent (4,155) had been excluded, including four presidential tickets, and that uncertainty over challenged candidacies persisted until the eve of the vote, delayed ballot printing by a month and eroded confidence in electoral and judicial authorities. It also reports that the TREP preliminary results system, strengthened with OAS technical cooperation between February and April 2023, worked satisfactorily on election day.