Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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September 9, 2007

Guatemalans Vote for New President
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1957DE0:A6F02AD83191E1606DAB684999A98C8D9574F7DCC14957C0 The top two
contenders for the presidency are a right-wing former general, Otto
Perez Molina, and a center-left businessman, Alvaro Colom





Posters of Guatemala's presidential candidates Otto Perez Molina of
the Patriot party, who is a retired general, below, and Alvaro Colom,
of the Unity of Hope party, in Chimaltenango, Guatemala, Saturday, 08
Sept. 2007Guatemalans are voting in elections for a new president,
following a campaign marred by violence that killed about 50 people.

The top two contenders for the presidency are a right-wing former
general, Otto Perez Molina, and a center-left businessman, Alvaro
Colom.

The two men were evenly matched in pre-election opinion polls, with 10
other candidates far behind.

The polls suggest Mr. Molina and Mr. Colom will fall short of a
majority needed to win in today's first round. A runoff election would
take place November fourth.

Mr. Colom, a Social-Democrat, has pledged to increase social spending
to alleviate poverty.

General Molina has promised to crack down on crime by hiring more
police and using the military to fight drug gangs. Guatemala has one
of the world's highest per capita murder rates.

Guatemalan voters also are choosing new parliament members and local
leaders.

In the months before the election, political violence killed about 50
candidates, party activists and their family members. The campaign has
been the most violent since Guatemala's 36-year civil war ended in
1996.

The winner of the presidential election will replace outgoing
President Oscar Berger.

Among the candidates is 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta
Menchu, the first woman to run for president in the Central American
nation.




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