Weekly Report - 13 August 2015 (WR-15-32)

Following the recent corruption allegations involving the main opposition Libertad Democrática Renovada (Líder) [WR-15-31], the party is facing further problems ahead of general elections on 6 September. Last week the supreme electoral court (TSE) slapped it with a Q$760,000 (US$94,000) fine and banned it from future campaigning for exceeding the campaign spending limit. The presidential contender poised to capitalise looks to be Jimmy Morales of the small conservative Frente de Convergencia Nacional (FCN) whose surge in the pre-electoral polls to second place, behind Líder’s Manuel Baldizón, has been a major talking point.