Guatemala election: Torres pauses campaign amid uncertainty

Guatemala's presidential candidate Sandra Torres Thursday said she was pausing her campaign after her main challenger's party was suspended a day earlier.

Opponent Bernardo Arevalo's Semilla party was suspended by a court for allegedly falsifying signatures when establishing itself in order to compete. 

However, the decision had coincided with the national electoral authority seemingly paving the way for a second-round vote by certifying the contested first-round results.

Where this chaos leaves the status of a runoff vote remains entirely unclear, it's scheduled for August but it's unclear if one candidate can campaign and whether the other will. 

Torres: 'I want to compete under equal conditions'

"We want to demonstrate our solidarity with the voters of the Seed party and also with those who came out to vote," Torres said. "As a candidate I want to compete under equal conditions."

Torres, a former first lady, announced the news the same day the country's top prosecutors raided the headquarters of the electoral authority, which on Wednesday had certified the first-round results, seemingly paving the way for her runoff against Arevalo.

Later on Thursday, a top official from Guatemala's electoral tribunal said that there were no legal restrictions preventing the second round of presidential elections from being held.

Meanwhile, Guatemala's highest court issued a temporary injunction blocking the suspension of the Semilla party.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "notes with concern reports of attempts to impact the second round of elections, and the growing tension this is causing," the office of his spokesperson said.

He urged "all the actors to continue their work with responsibility and impartiality."

Arevalo said he would take top prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche to court, calling him corrupt.

"We are making use of the resources and tools still left of our democracy because the stakes are high," he said.

What is the controversy over Guatemala's presidential runoff?

The developments came on the heels of special prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche's announcement Wednesday that a judge had agreed to suspend the legal status of Arevalo's Moivemento Semilla (Seed Movement).

The US State Department has accused Curruchiche and his boss of obstructing corruption investigations in Guatemala and put them both on its list of undemocratic actors.

The move by the Attorney General's Office appeared aimed at stopping Arevalo, who campaigned on fighting corruption.

The suspension was announced hours after the electoral body certified the results of last month's vote on June 25.

rm,sdi/msh (Reuters, AP, AFP, EFE)