Election Day November 4

(Written by my friend Katy Lynch) November 4th is a very special day in Guatemala. It is the presidential elections. The first elections this year held on Sept 16th, but since no candidate had a clear majority, the two top candidates now participate in runoffs, which are today. They are Otto Perez Molina of the Partido Patriota, who was active in the oppressive military regime of the civil war. His motto is "Mano Dura", rule with a hard first. Alvaro Colom of the Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza Guatemala, who is associated with narco-trafficing and also a total sell-out from the leftist party. So, much like in the US, there is not much of a choice. But tonight we should know the results. (Colom) won. An interesting fact about the election policy here is that yesterday, Saturday, the day before the election and today, the day of the election, the sale of alcohol is prohibited. We only realized this when we tried to go dancing last night and found EVERY bar and club closed. The law is designed to ensure that people are making clear decisions and to prevent violence.