Guatemalans Head to Polls Days After President’s Ouster
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Version 0 of 1. MIXCO, Guatemala — Guatemalans voted on Sunday in presidential elections, disgusted by corruption and disheartened by their choices just five days after a wave of mass protests forced President Otto Pérez Molina from office. The scandal over the former president, who was confined to a military barracks while he waited to hear on Tuesday if he must stand trial on corruption charges, has upended all the earlier forecasts of the race. But behind the uncertainty, a quiet confidence is emerging that for the first time, ordinary citizens will be able to hold politicians accountable. As Guatemalans make last-minute choices among the 14 parties and look for what many here call the “least bad,” some are opting for lesser-known candidates. “I didn’t know who to vote for until last night,” said Marvin Carvajal, 37, who works in a call center, after depositing his ballot at a school in a middle-class neighborhood of this vast suburb outside the capital. Only one thing guided his final decision: “We haven’t heard anything bad about this candidate,” he said. Like many Guatemalans, he has been closely following the news of a vast customs fraud ring that prosecutors said was led by Mr. Pérez Molina and his former vice president. Mr. Carvajal attended one of the weekly marches that have filled Guatemala’s central square since the multimillion-dollar ring was uncovered in April. Two weeks ago, prosecutors tied Mr. Pérez Molina directly to the ring, which took bribes from importers in exchange for discounts on tariffs, effectively stealing tax revenue. “I am happy they are in court,” Mr. Carvajal said. “That way the governments that come in will be scared that they, too, will face the law.” It was a sentiment echoed by many of the voters in Mixco, where Mr. Pérez Molina’s son is the mayor. “We can choose, and we can throw out the dinosaurs who have been stealing money from the people for years,” said Edgar Huezo, 35, a long-distance truck driver, who attended a march on Aug. 27, when an estimated 100,000 Guatemalans demanded Mr. Pérez Molina’s resignation. “The law is in charge.” The customs fraud scandal, along with a series of other cases that have swept up dozens of government officials, has reshaped the presidential race as voters seem to be judging candidates by only one metric. “Guatemalans have made a decision that we won’t put up with any more corruption,” said Elsa Maria Méndez, 35, who works in human resources for a large cellphone company. “They are all involved in corruption, money laundering, theft, drug trafficking,” she said. “You vote for who you think is the least dirty.” The longtime front-runner, Manuel Baldizón, a businessman and political boss from the northern jungle region of Petén, has dropped sharply in the polls as questions have swirled about where his campaign gets its seemingly limitless funds. Despite the widespread repudiation of him in the capital, he has spent heavily in rural areas, giving handouts like fertilizer in poor communities. Jimmy Morales, a television comedian, had been moving up in the polls because he was seen by some as untainted by political corruption. But his support from a group of retired military officers generated an uncomfortable association with the brutal human rights violations of Guatemala’s 36-year civil war. Another leading candidate is Sandra Torres, a former first lady. None of the three is expected to win the 50 percent needed to avoid a runoff on Oct. 25. Amid Sunday’s voting, there were scattered reports of irregularities and accusations of last-minute handouts of food and coupons. Lines at many polling places suggested that the final turnout among the 7.5 million registered voters would be high. “There is not one candidate who is good, not one,” Carla Morales de Carranza, 42, said. “Everybody has something uncomfortable in their background. Some are linked to organized crime, some are linked to drug trafficking, some are dragged down by their families.” Despite their anger, some Guatemalans managed to face their country’s political absurdities with humor. As she spoke, Ms. Méndez, the human resources manager, was standing across the street from a sign announcing a public work patronized by Mixco’s mayor, Otto Pérez Leal, who is known for driving a Ferrari. He has not been a bad mayor, Ms. Méndez said, but then laughed about the Ferrari. “It doesn’t match our reality of my country, the reality of the third world,” she said. |