After a campaign upended by a massive corruption scandal that felled the former president, Guatemala elects his replacement Sunday in a run-off between a politically inexperienced comedian and a former first lady.
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.
In a country where a recent history of repressive military rule has instilled a deep fear of political activism in many Guatemalans, observers have labeled the youth-led citizen movement that's taken to the streets and social media to demand an end to government corruption a “Guatemalan spring.”
