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GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala — In Guatemala, a reformist candidate has beaten the odds and will become president-elect. With nearly 100% of the vote counted, the center left, anti-corruption candidate, 

 leads with more than 20 percentage votes. 

The polls predicted this huge victory. But it's also unexpected.

The 64-year-old former diplomat and son of the Guatemala's first democratically elected President,

 stunned political observers when he secured second place against former first lady Sandra Torres, in the initial round of voting in June. He and his 

 were hardly known in Guatemala just a few months ago. 

Arévalo and his party were outsiders, in a country where the ruling elite had been consolidating their power for years. Human rights defenders, journalists, independent prosecutors and judges had been fleeing, some 

. The ruling party and some of its allies had challenged the result of the first round of the election that saw the Semilla party briefly 

"This victory belongs to the people of Guatemala and now, united as the Guatemalan people, we will fight against corruption," Arévalo said at a news conference late Sunday evening.

 had reigned in a country where many had become inured to corruption and its backslide towards authoritarianism. Analysts view this win as a chance to short circuit Guatemala's democratic backslide. 

Late Sunday night, supporters of Arévalo had taken to the 

    One supporter, Paola Ardo, told NPR that she felt like "democracy had been defended". 

congratulated Arévalo on X, formerly known as Twitter, and invited him to make an "orderly transition" to power, once the results were finalized. 


Sandra Torres, the losing candidate, had not conceded on Sunday evening and has vowed to challenge the results in court.


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Eyder Peralta

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In Guatemala, an anti-corruption candidate wins the run-off elections by a landslide, in a vote that was a critical test of the Central American country's democratic credentials. 

Guatemala's anti-corruption candidate wins presidency in a landslide vote

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