General elections were held in Guatemala on 9 September to elect a new President and Vice President of the Republic, 158 congressional deputies, and 332 mayors. As no presidential candidate received a majority of the vote, a second round was held on 4 November.
Colom was elected President of Guatemala. It would mark the first time since 1954 that Guatemala had a left wing government.
Presidential and vice-presidential candidates Óscar Castañeda (VP: Roger Valenzuela) for the National Advancement Party (PAN) Vinicio Cerezo Blandón (VP: Pablo Ramírez Rivas) for Guatemalan Christian Democracy (DCG). Cerezo Blandón is the son of Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo, who served as president from 1986 to 1991. Álvaro Colom (VP: José Rafael Espada) for the National Unity of Hope (UNE). Colom was the runner-up in the 2003 presidential election. Manuel Conde Orellana (VP: Juan Francisco Manrique) for the Democratic Union (UD) Mario Estrada (VP: Mario Torres Marroquín) for the Nationalist Change Union (UCN). Fritz García-Gallont (VP: Enrique Godoy García Granados) for the Unionist Party (PU) both mayors of the capital. Alejandro Giammattei (VP: Alfredo Vila Girón) for the Grand National Alliance (GANA). Giammattei served as director of the national prison service under GANA president Óscar Berger. Pablo Monsanto (VP: Mariano Portillo Lemus) for the New Nation Alliance (ANN). Rigoberta Menchú (VP: Luis Fernando Montenegro) for the Encounter for Guatemala (EG) party. Menchú is a K'iche' Maya and Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Press reports in late August reported that she had withdrawn from the race because of financial constraints and low levels of support;Guatemala Nobel Prize winner Menchu halts presidential campaign People's Daily, 27 August 2007 these reports were false.Menchú NO ha cerrado campaña por falta de recursos Otto Pérez Molina (VP: Ricardo Castillo Sinibaldi) for the Patriotic Party. Pérez Molina is a retired army general who was active in the Civil War. Luis Rabbé (VP: Haroldo Quej Chen) for the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG) Héctor Rosales (VP: Carlos Pérez Rodríguez) for Authentic Integral Development (DIA). Miguel Ángel Sandoval (VP: Walda Barrios Ruiz) for Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity–MAIZE (URNG–MAIZ). Eduardo Suger (VP: Erwin Lobos Ríos) for the Social Action Centre (CASA).
Opinion polls Pollster Date Colom Pérez Giammattei Menchú Suger UndecidedSiglo XXINovember 200747.452.6––––BGCNovember 200748.052.0––––Prensa LibreNovember 200747.053.0––––El PeriódicoNovember 200739.435.1–––25.5El PeriódicoOctober 200737.339.8–––22.9Siglo XXIOctober 200746.253.8––––Prensa LibreOctober 200745.654.4––––Prensa LatinaSeptember 200734.726.813.3–––Siglo XXISeptember 200741.439.39.55––Prensa LibreSeptember 200731.731.814.63.14.527.6El PeriódicoAugust 200730.727.710.55.71.716.7Prensa LibreAugust 20072217.57.672.423.1728.83 El PeriódicoJuly 20073323.18.95.5–18.5Prensa LibreJuly 200721.3314.428.172.422.537.92El PeriódicoJune 20072813.25.86.7–33.4Prensa LibreJune 200720.7512.258.171.51–El PeriódicoMay 200725.915.35.66.2–36Prensa LibreMay 200720.611.47.12.91.5–El PeriódicoApril 200728.610.46.35.6–42.3 Prensa LibreApril 200726.5109.62.751.25–El PeriódicoJanuary 200734.615.90.21.4–29.8 Prensa LibreJanuary 200721.2310.527.542.180.60–
Results President Around 60% of the voting public participated in the 9 September first-round vote. However, no candidate secured more than 50% of the vote, and so a run-off election was held between Álvaro Colom of the National Unity of Hope (UNE) and former Army General Otto Pérez Molina of the Patriotic Party (PP) on 4 November 2007. Angus Reid Global Monitor, 13 February 2007Guatemala heads for run-off vote BBC News, 10 September 2007
The ruling Grand National Alliance (GANA), after placing third in the first-round vote, declined to endorse either Colom or Pérez Molina for the second round.GANA Party Stays Neutral Prensa Latina, 13 September 2007
With 97.23% of the vote counted in the second round, Colom was declared the winner with just over 52 percent.
Congress The National Unity of Hope (UNE) made huge gains in the election, gaining 20 seats. The Patriotic Party (PP), which ran independent of the Grand National Alliance (GANA), won 29 seat, while GANA won 37 seats.
References
External links Elecciones Guatemala