OAS chief flags 'clear interference' in Guatemala election ahead of visit

By Sofia Menchu

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) -The Organization of American States (OAS) chief Luis Almagro will meet with authorities and politicians in Guatemala next week, he said on Wednesday, as concerns escalate over alleged government interference in the upcoming presidential runoff vote.

After candidate Bernardo Arevalo won a surprise second place in the initial round in June, Guatemalan authorities halted processing of the results and temporarily ordered the suspension of his anti-corruption party, Semilla, spurring international criticism.

Arevalo's close finish behind former first lady Sandra Torres shocked Guatemala's political establishment and catapulted the unlikely contender into a strong position to win in the Aug. 20 runoff, analysts say.

OAS head Almagro is set to arrive in Guatemala on Monday at President Alejandro Giammattei's invitation, and seek meetings with Arevalo and Torres, as well as other politicians and government representatives.

The OAS, which monitored the first round, had backed the results as legitimate.

"We have expressed ourselves emphatically on multiple occasions against the repeated attempts to alter the will of the people and the attacks on the electoral authorities," Almagro said in a special OAS session to discuss the election.

"This is an electoral process that has suffered clear interference of internal actors that hindered its normal development," he said.

Irma Palencia, the head of Guatemala's electoral court, said she has asked the OAS to continue monitoring the election.

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Daina Beth Solomon, Jonathan Oatis and Bill Berkrot)