Election Date: December 27, 2003

Abstract: At stake: President, Congress of the Republic

At stake: President, Congress of the Republic

Background

In an election that required two rounds of voting, former Guatemala City mayor Óscar Berger was chosen as the new president of Guatemala. The Central American country is still recovering from a 36-year civil war that left more than 300,000 people dead or disappeared.

The losing candidate in the 1999 run-off, Berger of the Partido de Avanzada Nacional (PAN—National Advancement Party) assembled a new coalition under the name Gran Alianza Nacional (GANA—Grand National Alliance) becoming the early leader in voting intention polls. Álvaro Colom of the Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza (UNE—National Union of Hope), who ran in 1999 as part of a merger that included former guerrilla leaders, emerged as Berger's main challenger. The key issues in the campaign were the economy, crime, corruption and human rights abuses.

The biggest controversy in the race revolved around Efraín Ríos Montt. The former president and army general was nominated by the ruling Frente Republicano Guatemalteco (FRG—Guatemalan Republican Front) of president Alfonso Portillo, despite the fact that the constitution forbids people who participated in a coup d'etat to become presidential candidates. Ríos Montt seized power in 1982, toppling the government of Fernando Lucas García.

Ríos Montt was ousted himself in 1983, and has repeatedly denied playing any role in the disappearance of nearly 100,000 Guatemalans. After the Supreme Court of Guatemala rejected Ríos Montt's prospective nomination, the former president took his appeal to the highest tribunal in the country, the Constitutional Court. On Jul. 15, a decision allowed Ríos Montt to register as a candidate. Voters met the developments with dissent. On Jul. 24, 3,000 people protested Ríos Montt's candidacy, forcing the government to deploy security forces to maintain order.

The electorate headed to the polls on Nov. 9, and few incidents of violence were reported. To guarantee a fair vote, more than 2,000 electoral observers were stationed throughout the country. All ballots were encrypted with a code, and satellite tracking systems were in place to ensure the safe transport of ballot boxes.

The country's electoral tribunal released official results on Nov. 18. GANA's Berger finished in first place with 34.33 per cent, followed by UNE's Colom with 26.36 per cent. No candidate received more than 50 per cent of the vote, forcing a new round between the top two finishers. The ruling party's Ríos Montt was out of the run-off—with 19.31 per cent—along with eight other candidates.

Voters headed to the polls again on Dec. 28, with a turnout of 47 per cent. The electoral tribunal certified Berger as the winner on Dec. 29, with 54.13 of all valid votes, with Colom receiving 45.87 per cent. Berger took over as Guatemala's president on Jan. 14, 2004.

Political Players

President: Óscar Berger - GANA
Vice-president: Eduardo Stein - GANA

The president and the vice-president are elected—in the same ticket—to a four-year term by popular vote.

Legislative Branch: The Congreso de la República (Congress of the Republic) has 158 members, elected to four-year terms, 127 members in single-seat constituencies and 31 by proportional representation.

Results of Last Election:

President - Nov. 9 and Dec. 28, 2003

	Nov. 9	Dec. 28
Óscar Berger - Gran Alianza Nacional (GANA—Grand National Alliance)	34.33%	54.13%
Álvaro Colom - Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza (UNE—National Union of Hope)	26.36%	45.87%
Efraín Ríos Montt - Frente Republicano Guatemalteco (FRG—Guatemalan Republican Front)	19.31%	--
Leonel López Rodas - Partido de Avanzada Nacional (PAN—National Advancement Party)	8.35%	--
Fritz García Gallont - Partido Unionista (PU—Unionist Party)	3.02%	--
Rodrigo Asturias - Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG—Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity)	2.58%	--
Eduardo Suger - Desarollo Integral Auténtico (DIA—Authentic Integral Development)	2.23%	--
Jacobo Arbenz - Democracia Cristiana Guatemalteca (DCG—Guatemalan Christian Democracy)	1.57%	--
José Ángel Lee Duarte - Democracia Social Participativa (DSP—Participative Social Democracy)	1.40%	--
Francisco Arredondo - Unión Nacional (UN—National Union)	0.45%	--
Manuel Conde Orellana - Partido Cambio Nacional (PCN—National Change Party)	0.40%	--

Congress of the Republic - Nov. 9, 2003

	Seats
Gran Alianza Nacional (GANA—Grand National Alliance) Partido Patriota (PP—Patriotic Party) Movimiento Reformador (MR—Reformist Movement) Partido Solidaridad Nacional (PSN—National Solidarity Party)	48
Frente Republicano Guatemalteco (FRG—Guatemalan Republican Front)	44
Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza (UNE—National Union of Hope)	32
Partido de Avanzada Nacional (PAN—National Advancement Party)	16
Partido Unionista (PU—Unionist Party)	6
Alianza Nueva Nación (ANN—New Nation Alliance)	6
Union Democrática (UD—Democratic Union)	3
Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG—Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity)	2
Democracia Cristiana Guatemalteca (DCG—Guatemalan Christian Democracy)	1
Desarollo Integral Auténtico (DIA—Authentic Integral Development)	--
Democracia Social Participativa (DSP—Participative Social Democracy)	--
Transparencia (TRANS—Transparence)	--

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