The two frontrunners in Guatemala’s presidential elections will face a run-off vote, the electoral commission has said, after no candidate in the divisive contest secured the 50 percent needed to win the election outright at the weekend.
The country’s electoral commission said on Monday morning that the results were “practically definitive” as former First Lady Sandra Torres and fellow centre-left candidate Bernardo Arevalo emerged from Sunday’s vote as the top two contenders.
With 98 percent of the votes counted, Torres of the National Unity of Hope (UNE) party had 15.7 percent support and Arevalo of Movimiento Semilla (the Seed Movement) had 11.8 percent, according to the commission’s preliminary tally.
“We’re happy,” Torres said during a news conference, expressing optimism at the second round, which is expected to be held on August 20. “We’re going to win, against whoever it may be.”
But Sunday’s election saw low turnout and numerous blank ballots cast, with many voters expressing doubt that the next government would be able to address long-standing problems in the Central American nation, namely unemployment, security and corruption.
Credit: Aljazeera.com
