Marriage may be the one institution in Guatemala to have suffered a
knock to its credibility following the announcement by President Alvaro Colom
and First Lady Sandra Torres, that the two had decided to divorce in order to
allow Torres to stand as presidential candidate for the centre-left ruling
Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza and its right-leaning ally, Gran Alianza
Nacional (Gana), in the September contest. The move is an explicit attempt to
sidestep the constitutional ban on candidates related to the incumbent running
for the top job. While sparking outrage from conservative sectors, the
announcement could be construed as a boost for institutional process in
Guatemala, assuaging fears that President Daniel Ortega's illegal bid for
re-election in Nicaragua's November vote might have set a regional
trend.End of preview - This article contains approximately 493 words.
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