Guatemala progressive presidential candidate Bernardo Arevalo took a commanding lead in preliminary results over former first lady Sandra Torres in an election where frustrated voters demanded change from corrupt politics.
With about 70 per cent of ballots counted, Arevalo led with 59 per cent to Torres 36 per cent of the vote.The two candidates offered starkly different paths forward. Former first lady Sandra Torres became an ally of outgoing, deeply unpopular President Alejandro Giammattei in her third bid for the presidency. Her opponent, Bernardo Arevalo, with the progressive Seed Movement, rode a wave of popular resentment toward politics to his surprise spot in the runoff.
Political analyst Renzo Rosal noted the heavier than usual presence of uniformed agents from the Attorney General's Office at voting centers across the country "could be taken as a form of intimidation." The Associated Press saw such agents at several voting centers. Poll workers at each voting table immediately began tallying ballots. One person would unfold each ballot, show it to the party observers at the table and announce which party received the vote.
Gonzalez wants to continue on to college and study business administration. She loves to cook and dreams of having her own restaurant one day, but the threat of extortion is so great that she's unsure if it's possible. "People can't keep a business," she said. He is unemployed and subsists on the corn and beans he grows. He used to grow a variety of vegetables, but it became too expensive.
The first round of voting on June 25 went relatively smoothly until results showed Arevalo had landed an unexpected spot in the runoff. The fact that the preliminary results were dragged into Guatemala's co-opted justice system has raised anxiety among many Guatemalans that voters will not have the final word Sunday.
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