GUATEMALA: Guatemalan candidates cast their votes in presidential elections

Both presidential candidates cast their vote as Guatemalans went to the polls in a tight presidential election on Sunday (November 04) that has split the country between left and right over how to fight a surge in violent crime 11 years after the end of a long civil war. Right-wing retired Gen. Otto Perez Molina, who vows to cut Guatemala's high murder rate by putting more troops on the streets and using capital punishment, faces left-leaning businessman Alvaro Colom in a close runoff. Opinion polls are divided over who will win but several surveys recently gave a small lead to Perez Molina, whose Patriot Party's logo is a clenched fist that symbolizes his slogan of a 'strong hand' against crime. Polling stations were quiet compared to a first-round vote in September, when lawmakers and mayors were also chosen. The army ruled the Central American country for decades until the mid-1980s and committed hundreds of massacres in 36 years of civil war. More than 200,000 people died before the government and leftist rebels made peace in 1996. Since then, Guatemala has been rocked by violent drug traffickers and tattooed street gang members. Almost 6,000 Guatemalans were slain last year, nearly twice the number at the end of the war and one of the highest rates in the world. Colom, who cast his vote on Sunday morning to the sound of a marimba band, promises to spend on health and schools. He argues that Guatemala will only cut crime by attacking poverty and removing corrupt police and judges. "This is a very important election for Guatemala, it's a true election, this second round is an election between two completely different options and we are certain that we'll succeed, we are happy," Colom said as he cast his vote. The soft-spoken Colom, whose symbol is a peace dove, won the September round of voting by 4.7 percentage points. He admits organized crime is present in his party and some voters say he is not tough enough to fix the nation's problems. The election campaign was itself marred by violence, with over 50 political party activists or candidates for Congress or local elections killed. Despite bad memories of army atrocities, many are convinced that Perez Molina's vow to put more troops on the streets to fight crime can restore order. Perez Molina said that if he wins there will be no difference in political parties as he cast his vote at a polling station on Sunday morning. "These are two different stages. The first stage was a struggle for local power. It has now turned into a struggle for the presidency and vice-presidency. Starting from tomorrow, we'll have to build the Guatemala that we all want and that is without differences in colour and political parties. We hope to overcome this stage and that everything works out well." Home to 13 million people, Guatemala is a major transit point for cocaine shipped to the United States, and drug cartels have grown in influence in recent years. Election results are due on Sunday night but the count could last for days if the contest is close.

ITN Source | November 5, 2007

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