Electoral Process in Guatemala Full of Abstentionism and Null Votes

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) of Guatemala offered the first bulletin of the general elections, the number of null votes exceeds the votes obtained by the party Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza (UNE), who leads the provisional count, while the abstention rate exceeds 40 percent so far.

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According to the TSE's preliminary results page, with 97,837 tally sheets processed out of a total of 122,293 (80%), the number of null votes is 817,394, which represents 17.4042% of the valid ballots.

Abstentionism stands 40.5759% percent, figures that could reflect a rejection of the electoral process or of the candidates of the different political forces in the country.

The preliminary count is led by the National Unity of Hope (UNE) party with 711,705 votes (15.0158%). In second place is the Semilla party with 581,624 votes (12.2713%), followed by Vamos with 372,680 votes (7.8629%).

Throughout the election day and after the closing of the electoral process, a series of irregularities have been registered.

Examples of these are the burning of a school that served as a voting center in the municipality of Sayaxché in Petén; a group of people that clashed outside a polling station in the town of San Mateo, Quetzaltenango; in the capital, incendiary devices were thrown at a voting center in zone 10 and a vehicle was set on fire at the Los Arcos voting center; among others.

Upon the first preliminary results, the presidential candidate for the Semilla party, César Bernardo Arévalo, called on his supporters to remain calm while awaiting the first results from the TSE.