Day zero will begin for the Semilla party and the Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza (UNE), of the former diplomat and the former first lady, who will wait for the definition at the polls of some 9,361,068 voters summoned.
Between 07:00 and 17:00, local time, 24,485 polling stations will be open, distributed in 3,482 authorized establishments in the 22 departments of the country.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) of this Central American nation invited 90,708 Guatemalans to participate in 33 centers in 15 cities of the United States.
The computer system for the Transmission of Preliminary Results (TREP), whose acquisition, simulation and execution around the first phase received criticism, and even an investigation by the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP), will continue.
The TSE will disclose the preliminary results as of 21:00, local time, and the scrutiny hearings are scheduled from the 21st to the 25th of this month.
More than 42 thousand uniformed officers will be deployed by the National Civil Police to guarantee security conditions, while the Ministry of the Interior will prioritize areas where any type of disturbance could occur.
Precisely due to anomalies reported on June 25, municipal elections will be repeated in San José del Golfo, capital department; San Martín Zapotitlán (Retalhuleu); Yepocapa (Chimaltenango); San Pablo Jocopilas (Suchitepéquez) and San Bartolomé Jocotenango (Quiché).
The Electoral Observation Mission of Guatemala (MOE-Gt) warned about possible violence and conflict around the presidential runoff due to the series of actions undertaken by the MP.
More than eight thousand national and international experts will accompany these elections throughout the country, more than in the first round and the most supervised in history, which provides certainty, according to the TSE.
In spite of the maneuvers against him, Arevalo, with 64,9 % of voting intention, is ahead of his rival Torres who sums up 35,1 % of intended votes.
The academic, described as progressist, in his closing campaign speech before thousands of sympathizers, assured that the road has just begun and as from January 14 they will continue “together in the construction of a spring”.
His proposal has as cross-cutting objectives the fight against corruption, to grow the economy and make the country more competitive.
Torres promised that he will promote economic aid programs and food delivery to underprivileged families and that he will work to improve security and to strengthen tourism and infrastructure.
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