Guatemala votes in tense runoff, with fears of interference

Guatemala City, The Gulf Observer: Guatemalans head to the polls Sunday in a presidential runoff marked by the harassment of a surprise frontrunner, who has fired up voters with his promises to end the rot of corruption.

Central American nation is dogged by poverty, violence and graft, with thousands of its citizens heading abroad every year in search of a better life, many to the United States.

Reformist outsider Bernardo Arevalo pulled off a massive upset by finishing second in the first round, and will face off against former first lady Sandra Torres in the runoff. A recent poll shows Arevalo with a strong lead.

Both are social democrats, meaning Guatemala will have its first leftist leader in over a decade.

The shock first-round result was followed by raids against Arevalo’s Semilla party offices, as well as those of the electoral board, prompting the United Nations, European Union, and Organization of American States (OAS) to raise the alarm over efforts to undermine the vote.

“The real power of democracy comes from respecting the will of the people,” US assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Brian A. Nichols, posted on social media on Friday.

A week before the vote, OAS secretary general Luis Almagro said: “It’s no secret that we are very worried.”

Arevalo, a 64-year-old sociologist, claims to be the victim of “political persecution by a corrupt minority that knows it is losing power by the day.”

Just days before the vote, prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche — sanctioned by Washington for corruption — said he did “not rule out” more raids and possible arrests after the elections.