GUATEMALA: Polling stations close as Guatemalans vote for president in hotly contested runoff election

Polling stations closed as Guatemalans voted between centre-leftist Alvaro Colom and a a retired general who wants to use the army and emergency laws to fight a brutal crime wave in Guatemala's presidential election on Sunday (November 04). Voting began at 7 a.m. and closed at 6 p.m. local time. The counting of the ballots was scheduled to begin immediately afterwards. The election fell on a weekend when Guatemalans celebrate the Day of the Dead and some voting stations were virtually empty despite fine weather. 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. No mayor incidents were reported where nearly 6 million were eligible to choose Guatemala's president for a four-year- term starting next January, 2008. Less people went to the polls during this second round of voting. Last September, 40 percent failed to vote and where Colom won by 4.7 percentage points. Nevertheless, Electoral Centre Coordinator, Gerardo Bianchi, said that his polling station received consistent voters throughout the day. "To differ from what we have heard elsewhere, we have had an assistance of 70 and 80 percent. The day was very calm and people continuously came in all day. The was consistent assistance and the process was fluid." The Supreme Electoral Tribunal has said that results will be announced on Sunday (November 04) before midnight. "Right now we are working for the people to communicate information and finish as quickly as possible to give a result with a clear tendency where we'll know who the next president of Guatemala will be," said the President of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, Oscar Bolanos. The Central American country, a U.S. free trade partner, has been plagued by violent drug cartels and youth street gangs since the end of its civil war in 1996 and now has one of the world's highest murder rates. Colom, 56 year-old, on his third bid to win the presidency, has accused Perez Molina seeking to take Guatemala back to the dark days of the Cold War when the powerful military systematically abused human rights. The army ruled Guatemala for decades until the mid-1980s and committed hundreds of massacres in 36 years of civil war with leftist rebels. More than 200,000 people died. Perez Molina, the former head of army intelligence, wants to put more troops on the streets and use capital punishment to fight crime. Colom says Guatemala will only cut crime by attacking poverty and removing corrupt police and judges, but admits that drug gangsters have found their way into his National Unity for Hope party. The election campaign was marred by violence, with more than 50 political party activists or candidates for Congress or local elections killed. Colom's party has been hardest hit with almost 20 party members murdered since last year.

ITN Source | November 5, 2007

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