Guatemalan general election, 2003
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A General Election was held in Guatemala on 9 November 2003. Voters went to the polls to elect a new President (and Vice-President), a new legislature (deputies for the unicameral Congreso de la República), municipal governments, and Guatemala's deputies to the Central American Parliament.
[edit] Presidential Election
The ruling Republican Front of Guatemala (FRG) nominated former military ruler Efraín Ríos Montt to succeed outgoing president Alfonso Portillo Cabrera. A constitutional ban on former coup leaders (Ríos Montt during 1982-83) led to strong conflict inside the country, including the besiegement of Guatemala for a day: 24 July 2003, known as jueves negro ("Black Thursday"). In the first round of voting, Ríos Montt came third behind the centrist mayor of Guatemala City, Óscar Berger, and the more left-wing candidate Álvaro Colom.
Since no candidate secured an absolute majority in this first round, a run-off vote between the top two candidates was held on 28 December, which Berger won with 54% of the votes.
[edit] National Summary of Voting
| Candidates - Parties | Votes 1st round | % | Votes 2nd round | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Óscar Berger Perdomo - Patriotic Party-Reform Movement-National Solidarity Party | 921,233 | 34.3 | 1,235,303 | 54.1 |
| Álvaro Colom Caballeros - National Unity of Hope | 707,578 | 26.4 | 1,046,868 | 45.9 |
| Efraín Ríos Montt - Guatemalan Republican Front | 518,328 | 19.3 | ||
| Leonel López Rodas - National Advancement Party | 224,127 | 8.4 | ||
| Fritz García-Gallont Bischof - Unionist Party | 80,943 | 3.0 | ||
| Rodrigo Asturias - Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity | 69,297 | 2.6 | ||
| Eduardo Sager - Authentic Integral Development | 59,774 | 2.2 | ||
| Jacobo Arbenz Vilanova - Guatemalan Christian Democracy | 42,186 | 1.6 | ||
| José Angel Lee - Social Participative Democracy | 37,505 | 1.4 | ||
| Fransisco Arredondo Mendoza - National Union | 11,979 | 0,4 | ||
| Manuel Conde Orellana - Social and Political Movement National Change | 10,829 | 0,4 | ||
| Total (turnout 45.8 %) | 2,937,169 | 100.0 | 2,282,171 | 100,0 |
| Valid votes | 2,683,779 | |||
| Blank votes | 114,004 | 24,192 | ||
| Void/Spoilt/invalid | 139,384 | 67,106 | ||
| Source: Tribunal Supremo Electoral | ||||
[edit] Legislative election
| Parties and alliances | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
Grand National Alliance (Gran Alianza Nacional)
|
620,121 | 24.3 | 47 |
| Guatemalan Republican Front (Frente Republicano Guatemalteco) | 502,470 | 19.7 | 43 |
| National Unity of Hope (Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza) | 457,308 | 18.4 | 32 |
| National Advancement Party (Partido de Avanzada Nacional) | 278,393 | 10.9 | 17 |
| Unionist Party (Partido Unionista) | 138,713 | 5.4 | 7 |
| New National Alliance (Alianza Nueva Nación) | 123,853 | 4.9 | 6 |
| Guatemalan National Revolucionary Unity (Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca) | 107,276 | 4.2 | 2 |
| Guatemalan Christian Democracy (Democracia Cristiana Guatemalteca) | 82,324 | 3.2 | 1 |
| Authentic Integral Development (Desarrollo Integral Auténtico) | 75,295 | 3.0 | 1 |
| Democratic Union (Unión Democrática) | 55,793 | 2.2 | 2 |
| Social Participative Democracy (Democracia Social Participativa) | 28,425 | 1.1 | - |
| Transparency (Transparencia) | 27,740 | 1.1 | - |
| Total (turnout 57.8 %) | 2,552,374 | 100.0 | 158 |
| Invalid and blank votes | 446,491 | ||
| Registered voters | 5,073,282 | ||
| Source: Supreme Electoral Tribunal | |||
