Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei meets with the Organization of American States (OAS) chief Luis Almagro, as concerns escalate over alleged government interference in the upcoming presidential runoff vote, in Guatemala City, Guatemala August 1, 2023. Presidencia de Guatemala/Handout via REUTERS

Guatemalan President pledges peaceful elections in OAS meeting

Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Tuesday met with the Organization of American States chief Luis Almagro and expressed his commitment to ensuring peaceful elections in the country.

Published on:

02 Aug 2023, 10:26 am

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) -Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Tuesday met with the Organization of American States chief Luis Almagro and expressed his commitment to ensuring peaceful elections in the country, he said in a post on messaging platform X on Tuesday.

Almagro is set to stay in the Central American country until August 4.

Guatemala is scheduled to hold a presidential runoff election on Aug. 20, with anti-graft candidate Bernardo Arevalo facing off against former first lady Sandra Torres.

Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei shakes hands with the Organization of American States (OAS) chief Luis Almagro, as concerns escalate over alleged government interference in the upcoming presidential runoff vote, in Guatemala City, Guatemala August 1, 2023. Presidencia de Guatemala/Handout via REUTERS

The government guaranteed to OAS authorities it has the appropriate budget and can provide the infrastructure and security needed for electoral authorities to carry out the vote, according to a government statement on the meeting.

The electoral process has raised international concerns over alleged government interference after a move from local authorities to suspend Arevalo's party, which was reversed by the country's top court last month.

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu; Editing by Brendan O'Boyle)