GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala — Three weeks after the Guatemalan presidential election, and subsequent to difficulties associated with the transmission of the results by computer systems, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) cannot explain why 23,000 extra votes were originally counted and how the voters were registered.
The
finding was made after comparing candidates’ official figures with the ones
that appear on the TSE website. The TSE confirmed two weeks ago that its system
had made an error in the vote-counting process. Nine political parties have had
more than 2,000 votes each subtracted from their totals as the TSE numbers
continue to reveal inconsistencies.
Javier
Zepeda, executive director of the Chamber of Industry, explained previously
that “… one should not take for speculation or misrepresent what was a
calculation error with a fraud.”
The
electoral body has denied any kind of fraud several times, and its director,
Gustavo Castillo, previously explained the agency’s own software was to blame.
Castillo said the error was human and that some party numbers on ballots
weren’t clear or legible, so data was registered incorrectly.
“We have
many cases of typos where we find a seven that looks like a four, or a five
that seems to be an eight, and things of that kind. That’s why it happens,”
Castillo said.
When
asked for a technical explanation, he replied he doesn’t have one and he would
have to analyze the appearance of some 23,000 votes that aren’t registered to
specific voters.
Guatemalan
state prosecutors raided the offices of the TSE as part of an investigation of
alleged irregularities regarding national vote-counting.
Despite the
differences between official figures and the ones on the site, candidates for
the second round of presidential elections are: Center-left, Sandra Torres of
the National Unity of Hope party, and Center-right, Alejandro Giammattei of
Vamos.
In
related matters, Guatemalan authorities have issued an arrest warrant for
former Attorney General Thelma Aldana for allegations of irregular hiring
during her tenure. The international arrest warrant was ratified June 28, the
current Attorney General Consuelo Porras confirmed.
In May,
Aldana’s attempt to run as a presidential candidate was rejected by the
Guatemalan constitutional court. According to Martin Guzman, the court’s
secretary, Aldana had failed to meet the requirements of being a candidate.
Aldana
who is well-known for her anti-corruption platform said in a statement:
“It has
become evident that the fight against corruption and criminal structures in our
country has a very high cost,” Aldana added, “I will continue to struggle to
transform the country.”
Aldana
gained notoriety for support of the International Commission Against Impunity
in Guatemala (CICIG), a body created by the United Nations to fight corruption
in Guatemala.
She was
pivotal in bringing ex-president Otto Perez and his vice president, Roxana
Baldetti to justice.