The voting centers opened this Sunday in Guatemala to elect the future president in a ballot between the social democrat Sandra Torres and the conservative Alejandro Giammattei, whose winner will have the challenge of facing poverty, corruption and criminal violence.
I ask all citizens to vote, it is the opportunity we have to be able to decide the next presidential binomial,”
said Julio Solórzano, president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), after cutting the opening symbolic ribbon of the 21,099 polling stations installed throughout the country.
The voting began with little influx to the polls, according to television images that showed those responsible for the centers waiting for the arrival of voters.
This is the second time Giammattei and Torres are in the battle for the presidency. In the first round of June none of them reached 50% plus one of the votes.
The winner will replace the current president, Jimmy Morales, for a period of four years in January. In Guatemala there is no reelection.
The two candidates focus their promises on the fight against poverty, which affects almost 60% of the 17.7 million Guatemalans, on improving health and education, and on fighting corruption and criminal violence.
Solórzano also urged to avoid violence. The official said that the preliminary results will be given in real time on the TSE website, although he clarified that the official data will be released in five days.