Guatemala decides today in a run-off election on a new head of state and government.
Former First Lady Sandra Torres won the first round of the presidential election on June 16, with around 25.5 percent of the vote. Her Social Democratic Party (UNE) was by far the strongest force in Congress in the simultaneous parliamentary elections.
The conservative candidate Alejandro Giammattei of the party Vamos came to just under 14 percent. Because no candidate has achieved an absolute majority, now the approximately eight million eligible citizens of the Central American country between the two 63-year-olds to choose a successor to President Jimmy Morales. This may not start for a second four-year term because the Guatemalan constitution does not allow re-election.
Both candidates against US migration pact
According to observers, for Giammattei, the vexation of many voters speaks of the traditional political elites, including Torres. The ex-wife of former President Alvaro Colom is being investigated for illegal campaign financing. However, Giammattei also had trouble with the judiciary. He was detained for several months for a bloody operation in a detention center while serving as head of the National Prison Administration, but was finally acquitted.
Another big topic at the moment is a migration agreement with the US, which the government signed about two weeks ago. Both candidates reject it.
