Guatemala Elects Center-Left Bernardo Arévalo as President

Facts

• Center-left Seed Movement candidate Bernardo Arévalo, who ran on an anti-corruption platform, won Guatemala’s presidential run-off election on Sunday, defeating former first lady Sandra Torres by a wide margin.¹
• Arévalo commanded 58% of the vote after all the votes were counted, but Torres has so far refrained from accepting the election results, which still have to be certified to become official.²
• Torres, who before the vote accused the electoral board of favoring her opposition, said she would take a final position only when the results are clarified with total transparency.³
• Her party on Monday urged the Supreme Electoral Tribunal to explain why it endorsed the alleged irregular use of a parallel system for the Departmental Electoral Board of the Central District and Department of Guatemala, expressing disappointment that international observers didn't review these claims.⁴
• Additionally, Arévalo could be prevented from taking office in January as his Seed Movement still faces an investigation for allegedly being improperly registered years ago, which could lead to the suspension of its legal status.⁵
• When the ex-diplomat and son of a former president unexpectedly advanced to the run-off, his party had its legal status briefly suspended and the official results were delayed. This ban was ultimately reversed by Guatemala's top court.⁶

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Associated Press, ³France 24, ⁴CNN, ⁵FOX News and ⁶Reuters.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Vox. Bernardo Arevalo’s resounding win was a pleasant surprise for democracy in Guatemala and the world. Despite legal threats and undemocratic maneuvers to prevent him from winning, Arevalo’s stayed true to his anti-corruption message and drew overwhelming support from the Guatemalan people. Guatemala’s latest election shows how an outsider can rise through adversity, and it is an example of how democracy can thrive in the face of authoritarianism.
• Narrative B, as provided by Carnegie endowment for international peace. It was known well before Election Day that Guatemala's establishment would not allow any candidate threatening the interests of the country's corrupt political elite to run for president — the fact that Arévalo won to the second round must be considered with skepticism rather than optimism. It's very likely that either he is not a threat to the status quo, or that he will be prevented from taking office.