Right-wing general poised to win Guatemalan presidency
With the former first lady out of the picture, ex-general Otto Perez holds a commanding lead.
Stephanie GarlowAugust 22, 2011 13:01
Former general Otto Perez looks poised to become Guatemala's next president, but may not win outright in the first round, according to a poll released today by local press.
It was the first poll conducted since his closest rival, former First Lady Sandra Torres, was officially banned from running.
Torres divorced her husband, President Alvaro Colom, to try to circumvent a provision that prohibits spouses or relatives of the outgoing leader from running for the presidency. But the Constitutional Court struck down her candidacy.
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A victory for Perez — who served in the army until 1998 and whom human rights groups accuse of wartime abuses — would put the military establishment back in control of Guatemala just as probes into the country's brutal civil war are beginning, Reuters reports.
More:
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/que-pasa/elections-guatemala-nicaragua-perez