Bloody Campaign

September 2007 | Ratings Update

The most worrying part about the first round of Guatemala's presidential election was the level of violence surrounding the campaign. This has been the bloodiest election campaign in the country's history, with at least 40 candidates or party officials slain - presumably by members of the country's syndicated crime gangs and other politically-motivated groups. This dangerous political environment helps explain the surge in popularity for 'iron-fisted' candidate Otto Perez Molina. It also does not bode well for the future of Guatemalan politics, as reformist candidates are likely to be intimidated by the spectre of further violence against them, their associates,

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