Mexico says Guatemala presidential election result must be respected

Guatemala's attorney general's office said last week it would seek to annul the June first-round election - held before a decisive August run-off won by Arevalo - citing irregularities in voter registrations as well as in data collection. "I would like to ...

(Adds details after paragraph 1) MEXICO CITY, Dec 13 (Reuters) -

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Wednesday called for the outcome of neighboring Guatemala's presidential election to be respected to avoid "conflict," as the country's attorney general seeks to block the inauguration of President-elect Bernardo Arevalo. Guatemala's attorney general's office said last week it would seek to

annul the June first-round election - held before a decisive August run-off won by Arevalo - citing irregularities in voter registrations as well as in data collection.

"I would like to ... respectfully call on the Guatemalan authorities to respect the will of the people of Guatemala who elected Bernardo Arevalo as president," Lopez Obrador said at a regular press conference. "If the popular will is not respected in Guatemala, conflicts can arise and they are our neighbors, they are our brothers, we do not want there to be political instability."

The U.S. and other Western countries

have also backed Arevalo since he won election, saying probes by the attorney general's office are a coordinated effort to undermine him and democracy in Guatemala, Central America's most populous country.

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