Guatemalans will vote for their next president Sunday in elections plagued by widespread disillusion and distrust, and as tens of thousands of their compatriots flee poverty and gang violence to seek a new life in the United States.
With 19 candidates in the race for president, and the winner needing an absolute majority, a runoff vote is likely in August.
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Guatemalans will vote for their next president Sunday in elections plagued by widespread disillusion and distrust, and as tens of thousands of their compatriots flee poverty and gang violence to seek a new life in the United States.
Three of the last four elected presidents have been arrested post-presidency on charges of corruption. Graft allegations have also targeted current President Jimmy Morales and his inner circle, though he denies wrongdoing and has been protected from prosecution due to his immunity while in office.
Unemployment, violence, corruption, rising costs of living and the shoddy state of the country's highways are among top concerns for the country's electorate. Surging migration has not emerged as a major campaign issue, even as an estimated 1 percent of Guatemala's population of some 16 million people has left the country this year.
People walk past a Presidential House as soldiers stands guard, one day before the general elections, in the historic district of Guatemala City, Saturday, June 15, 2019. The road to Sunday's presidential election in Guatemala has been a chaotic flurry of court rulings and shenanigans, illegal party-switching and allegations of malfeasance that torpedoed the candidacies of two of the top three candidates. (AP PhotoOliver de Ros)
Workers of the Electoral Supreme Court organize the distribution of ballots to deliver at polling stations, one day before general elections, in Guatemala City, Saturday, June 15, 2019. Polls favor former first lady Sandra Torres of the National Unity and Hope party to finish first, but with 19 candidates in the race it is unlikely she will win the absolute majority necessary to avoid a runoff. (AP PhotoOliver de Ros)
A City's worker picks up rubbish spread amid political campaign posters standing at Reforma avenue, in Guatemala City, Saturday, June 15, 2019. The road to Sunday's presidential election in Guatemala has been a chaotic flurry of court rulings and shenanigans, illegal party-switching and allegations of malfeasance that torpedoed the candidacies of two of the top three candidates. (AP PhotoOliver de Ros)
A runners is seen through a vandalized campaign poster promoting presidential candidate Edwin Escobar at Reforma avenue, in Guatemala City, Saturday, June 15, 2019. The election Sunday will be the first time that Guatemalans can cast ballots from abroad: At least 60,000 are eligible in Los Angeles, New York, Maryland and Washington, D.C., all home to large numbers of Guatemalan emigres. (AP PhotoOliver de Ros)
A worker loads a box with ballots to be distributed in trucks at polling stations, one day before general elections, in Guatemala City, Saturday, June 15, 2019. Polls favor former first lady Sandra Torres of the National Unity and Hope party to finish first, but with 19 candidates in the race it is unlikely she will win the absolute majority necessary to avoid a runoff. (AP PhotoOliver de Ros)
The road to this presidential election has been a chaotic flurry of court rulings and shenanigans, illegal party-switching and allegations of malfeasance that torpedoed the candidacies of two of the top three candidates.
Plastic bags with the logo of the ruling party, FCN Nacion, hang at a handcrafts stand inside the central market in Guatemala City, Saturday, June 15, 2019. As Guatemala goes to the polls on Sunday, they favor former first lady Sandra Torres of the National Unity and Hope party to finish first, but with 19 candidates in the race it is unlikely she will win the absolute majority necessary to avoid a runoff. (AP PhotoOliver de Ros)
Three of the last four elected presidents have been arrested post-presidency on charges of corruption. Graft allegations have also targeted current President Jimmy Morales and his inner circle, though he denies wrongdoing and has been protected from prosecution due to his immunity while in office.
A recent poll from CID Gallup Latinoamerica found that nearly a third of Guatemalan adults surveyed believe the election will be plagued by fraud. Another 20 percent said the election's legitimacy would be suspect because so many candidates were kept from running.
The election marks the first time that Guatemalans can cast ballots from abroad: At least 60,000 are eligible to vote in Los Angeles, New York, Maryland and Washington, D.C., all home to large numbers of Guatemalan emigres.
A worker grabs the boxes filled with ballots before being distributed to polling stations in Guatemala City, Saturday, June 15, 2019. The road to Sunday's presidential election in Guatemala has been a chaotic flurry of court rulings and shenanigans, illegal party-switching and allegations of malfeasance that torpedoed the candidacies of two of the top three candidates. (AP PhotoOliver de Ros)
Unemployment, violence, corruption, rising costs of living and the shoddy state of the country's highways are among top concerns for the country's electorate. Surging migration has not emerged as a major campaign issue, even as an estimated 1 percent of Guatemala's population of some 16 million people has left the country this year.
The top five candidates are: former first lady Sandra Torres of the National Unity and Hope party, who is expected to finish first but without enough votes to win in the first round; former prison director and four-time presidential candidate Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei Falla; businessman Roberto Arzú, lawyer and journalist Edmond Auguste Mulet Lesieur; and Thelma Cabrera, the only indigenous candidate.
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Workers of a supermarket place a black canvas over stacked alcoholic drinks, which the electoral law prohibits selling one day before the general elections, in Guatemala City, Saturday, June 15, 2019. Polls favor former first lady Sandra Torres of the National Unity and Hope party to finish first, but with 19 candidates in the race it is unlikely she will win the absolute majority necessary to avoid a runoff. (AP PhotoOliver de Ros)
People walk past a Presidential House as soldiers stands guard, one day before the general elections, in the historic district of Guatemala City, Saturday, June 15, 2019. The road to Sunday's presidential election in Guatemala has been a chaotic flurry of court rulings and shenanigans, illegal party-switching and allegations of malfeasance that torpedoed the candidacies of two of the top three candidates. (AP PhotoOliver de Ros)
Workers of the Electoral Supreme Court organize the distribution of ballots to deliver at polling stations, one day before general elections, in Guatemala City, Saturday, June 15, 2019. Polls favor former first lady Sandra Torres of the National Unity and Hope party to finish first, but with 19 candidates in the race it is unlikely she will win the absolute majority necessary to avoid a runoff. (AP PhotoOliver de Ros)
A City's worker picks up rubbish spread amid political campaign posters standing at Reforma avenue, in Guatemala City, Saturday, June 15, 2019. The road to Sunday's presidential election in Guatemala has been a chaotic flurry of court rulings and shenanigans, illegal party-switching and allegations of malfeasance that torpedoed the candidacies of two of the top three candidates. (AP PhotoOliver de Ros)
A runners is seen through a vandalized campaign poster promoting presidential candidate Edwin Escobar at Reforma avenue, in Guatemala City, Saturday, June 15, 2019. The election Sunday will be the first time that Guatemalans can cast ballots from abroad: At least 60,000 are eligible in Los Angeles, New York, Maryland and Washington, D.C., all home to large numbers of Guatemalan emigres. (AP PhotoOliver de Ros)
A worker loads a box with ballots to be distributed in trucks at polling stations, one day before general elections, in Guatemala City, Saturday, June 15, 2019. Polls favor former first lady Sandra Torres of the National Unity and Hope party to finish first, but with 19 candidates in the race it is unlikely she will win the absolute majority necessary to avoid a runoff. (AP PhotoOliver de Ros)