Guatemala is not a hopeless case

On Monday, Arturo Valenzuela stated that

"Guatemala is not a hopeless case, quite the opposite. It is a country with many resources and will to overcome this problem, but obviously their challenges are great." (Prensa Libre)

And according to today's news, solving the country's problems is likely to fall upon Otto Perez Molina's shoulders. Vox Latina came out with a new poll for Siglo XXI. Perez now has a thirty-six point lead over his nearest competitor, Eduardo Suger of Creo.

Forty-four per cent of the Guatemalans questioned said that they would vote for Perez Molina. Thirteen per cent said that they would vote for Sandra Torres, but the CSJ rejected her appeal and she's now moved on to the Constitutional Court where hundreds of her supporters we gathered this afternoon. Since she isn't on the ballot, Suger is now in second place with 8%. Harold Caballeros (Viva-EG) is supported by 6.3% of the population, but he can't run either.

While we still have to wait for things to shake out, it's now looking like Perez Molina will win a first round victory on September 11.