Guatemalan Election in a Time of Popular Outrage

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To the surprise of many pundits, television comedian Jimmy Morales shot out of the pack to take a significant lead (with about 24%) in the first round of Guatemala’s presidential election on September 6, 2015.  Guatemalans were in an anti-establishment mood just days after sitting President Otto Pérez Molina resigned and was arrested on corruption charges.  The second and third place finishers, Sandra Torres and Manuel Baldizón, were only separated by a few thousand votes, but only Ms. Torres will go on to the second round.  Both Baldizón, candidate of the LIDER party who lost the second round in 2011, and Torres, a former first lady, received around 19.5% of the vote.  The general consensus is that voters wanted to punish the political establishment and traditional parties.