Latinnews Daily - 7 November 2003
GUATEMALA: Elections likely to be tightest since civil war
With only days to go to the 9 November presidential and legislative
elections, our prediction that no single candidate will muster sufficient votes
in the first-round looks almost certain to be borne out, bar electoral
irregularities. Less certain is who will compete in the run-off on 28 December.
The momentum is undoubtedly with Alvaro Colom of the nominally left-of-centre
Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza (UNE). Frontrunner Oscar Berger of the
right-of-centre Gran Alianza Nacional (Gana) amassed a huge lead in early polls
but the pendulum has swung very much away from him and towards Colom in recent
weeks. Colom has surged up the polls to within three percentage points of Berger
although whether he can sustain that run in the second round is open to doubt.
End of preview - This article contains approximately 800 words
Subscribers: Log in now to read the full article
Not a Subscriber?
Enquire Now