"The signs of fraud are blatantly obvious," said conservative candidate Manuel Baldizón, who four days after the vote is still locked in a neck-and-neck race for runner-up with former First Lady Sandra Torres of the social democratic party. Electoral tribunal chief Julio Solorzano dismissed the allegation.
GUATEMALA CITY – A comedian whose shtick was playing a simpleton cowboy who almost becomes president emerged Monday as the man to beat in Guatemala's presidential race amid disgust over a corruption scandal that felled the outgoing incumbent.
Comedian-turned-politician Jimmy Morales, 46, currently is in the lead to become Guatemala's next president by a wide margin. But in a surprise for many, former First Lady Sandra Torres – who for much of the campaign polled in a distant third place – was neck-and-neck with Líder party candidate Manuel Baldizón for a second-place spot in an Oct. 25 runoff election.
In a practice known as acarreo, political parties or candidates shuttle poor residents to various districts to vote in exchange for money or food. This year's general election on Sunday was marked by several allegations of acarreo, intimidation, and in some cases, violence.
PORTU-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Two people were killed during Haiti's long-delayed legislative elections amid violence that forced some polling stations to close early, political parties said Monday.
OTTAWA, Canada – Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Sunday called general elections for Oct. 19, kicking off a campaign for a fourth straight term in power amid a sluggish economy. Harper, in power since 2006, dissolved parliament after meeting with Governor General David Johnston, the representative of Queen Elizabeth II, Canada's nominal head of state in this Commonwealth country.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hillary Clinton was set to lay out an ambitious plan Monday to invest in solar and other renewable energy sources if elected president, drawing a contrast with her fossil fuel-loving Republican rivals.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Nicaragua’s political opposition, despite its noisy protests against President Daniel Ortega and his ruling Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) party, has virtually no chance of winning next year’s elections. That’s because Ortega enjoys a 74 percent popularity rating, according to the latest Gallup poll, and because Nicaragua’s feeble opposition isn’t connecting with average voters or raising issues people really care about – like poverty and rising crime.
Joining the uproar over those remarks, Univision said it will not broadcast the Miss USA beauty pageant scheduled for July 12 or any other project associated with Trump.
