Guatemala: Elections Website

Elecciones Guatemala [ES] is a new website dedicated to the upcoming electoral season in Guatemala.

5 comments

  • EUobserver

    Hi to everyone, I have found this website and I pop up the first question: how many chances has Menchu to win? Will she make the second round? I am very interested in the politics of the country, but I do not really know the political situation of 2007 and the popularity of other candidates…

  • The last pool results show Rigoberta with 2% of the vote, with 14 candidates. The leader, Colom has 16%.

  • Mas

    I would say that she won’t win, but I hope she at least gets 10%. Guate needs a leftist coalition government. The right has been in control over the last two decades and they have really achieved little. The government needs to collect more taxes so that it can provide education, health care, and security.

  • EUobserver

    Thanks for answering. I actually found myself a poll where Menchu was trailing with 1.5% only. Interesting to see if she can build up more consensus, being woman and indio is definitely something new for a candiate to Presidency!

  • Guatemala Service Worker/Observer

    I just returned from the highlands of Guatemala and got stuck in my fair share of traffic jams caused by political rallies. My work requires me to work closely with varying indigenous groups in the highlands (most of whom are very close to Menchu’s hometown). Judging from purely testimonial evidence from indigenous groups, Menchu has an icecube’s chance in H-E-double toothpicks to do any better than fifth place. She is an incredibly polarizing figure within Guatemala. It is the RARE Guatemalan that I have met who does NOT joke about Menchu let alone support her. She is certainly the darling of the international community but for “Jose-Campesino-Indigenous-Guy” she is a non-factor. I got caught in a traffic jam returning home in Panachel (a.k.a. Gringolandia or Hippielandia) which turned out to be a Menchu rally. I began to rethink my assessment until I saw a lot of internationals in the mix and then another political party that is not in the top three came rumbling by that simply dwarfed the Menchu parade – it wasn’t close. It would be wonderful to see a successful indigenous candidate but Menchu has the same problem that Jesse Jackson has in the States. I just don’t ever see it happening. Moderate, normal Guatemalans simply hate her.

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