Statement by Sir Ronald Sanders, Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda on the General Elections in Guatemala at the Regular Meeting of the Permanent Council on Wednesday, 19th July 2023
My delegation makes this statement with a heavy heart.
We have collaborated in this Council with the delegation of Guatemala on several resolutions and declarations that have advanced the interests of this Organization and the people of this hemisphere.
We have the highest regard for the Ambassador of Guatemala Rita di Scioli and Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro.
In this context, we are saddened that we must express our great concern about events by authorities in Guatemala that place democracy at risk, particularly in relation to Articles 3 and 6 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
Article 3 calls for the exercise of power in accordance with the rule of law, the pluralistic system of political parties and organizations, free and fair elections, and the independence of the branches of government.
However, it has become clear that in the run-up to the June 25th Presidential and other elections and since then, including events that took place yesterday, there have been abuses of authority to frustrate the will of the electorate, particularly in the presidential elections.
My delegation will not rehearse the several abuses that have taken place, especially by the Public Prosecutor’s Office, designed to overturn the result of the first round of the elections which have now been twice upheld by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
These deliberate attempts to topple the expressed will of the electorate have been well documented by the OAS Election Observer Mission and by other international agencies, particularly the European Union.
However, my delegation notes that the result of the elections and the recount of the votes led to final results which were almost identical to the preliminary results.
There was no conclusive evidence of vote tampering, which is the unsupported allegation on which the Public Prosecutor continues to base actions designed to disqualify presidential candidate, Bernardo Arévalo and his Movimiento Semilla party.
Furthermore, Guatemalan law prohibits the disqualification of any party once the election process has started.
Consequently, my delegation is deeply concerned that instead of upholding the law the Public Prosecutor is violating it.
This is not only unacceptable, it runs counter to the spirit and letter of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal has authorised that the second presidential elections to determine a winner will be held on August 20 with the two front runners, Sandra Torres of the National Union of Hope and Bernardo Arévalo of Semilla as the contenders.
My delegation urges the authorities in Guatemala to respect the democratic process and the will of the electorate by ensuring free and fair elections and upholding the rule of law.
Credible, free and fair elections are the bedrock of representative democracy.
Mr Chairman, my delegation also calls on the general secretariat not only to observe the run-off election on 20th August, but also to keep this Council fully informed of developments in Guatemala on this issue.
Finally, my delegation thanks the OAS electoral observer mission, headed by the distinguished former Foreign Minister of Paraguay, for its professional and careful work on these elections in Guatemala, and for the reports it has submitted.
This Observer mission to Guatemala underscores the important role that international election observation missions play in ensuring that the will of the electorate is respected, and that democracy is upheld.
