Guatemala City, by Brenda Larios -AGN- The Secretary General of the Organization of American States -OAS-, Luis Almagro, said that he was assured that the Government of Guatemala would respect the results of the second round of elections.
The Secretary explained the situation when he presented the report of his visit to Guatemala to the OAS Council:
“This report highlights the commitment of all the government powers for the upcoming presidential elections on August 20. We have been assured that the winner of the second runoff election will be given the power on January 14, at the time determined by Congress.”
Transition Support
Luis Almagro visited the country from August 1 to 4 after an invitation from President Alejandro Giammattei. He held meetings with various entities, including the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, the Public Ministry, and other organizations.
During the meeting with President Giammattei at the Presidential House, Guatemalan authorities requested support in the second round of elections until the transition process is completed on January 14, 2024.
Secretary General Almagro stated, “As the OAS, we have been invited to participate in the transition process until January 14. We will provide support through the Electoral Observation Mission -EOM-, with political specialists in transition processes.”
He also emphasized the importance of respecting the results of the first and second rounds in a fair, clear, and transparent electoral process. He stressed the importance of an orderly and open transition and the transfer of power to the winner of the second round.
Visit to Guatemala
The Secretary General of the Organization of American States -OAS-, Luis Almagro, visited Guatemala from August 1 to 4, 2023, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei.
The Guatemalan president said in this regard, “We have had the opportunity to talk about different topics of the national reality to the OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro. We welcome his presence in Guatemala and hope he has the best of visits.”
In addition, as part of the agenda, President Giammattei mentioned that they addressed issues related to the country’s situation and the follow-up of the electoral process.
Finally, President Giammattei emphasized the government’s commitment to providing the resources needed for the run-off election’s progress and stressed the transfer of power on January 14 to the person elected freely and democratically.
