(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
The second man in the election is leftist candidate Alvaro Colom. Colom was 10 percentage points after Berger when 64 percent of the votes were counted. After a fifth of the votes were counted, Berger was 20 percentage points ahead, and it looked hopeless for Colom. The more votes counted, the smaller the Berger lead, but Colom's percentage does not increase. Counting is slow due to massive turnout.
The major loser of the election is former military dictator Efraìn Rìos Montt, and his party Front Republican Guatemalteco (FRG) which gets just over 11 percent.
Before the election, former Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchù urged the outside world to boycott Guatemala should Rìos Montt win. Many feared that supporters of his party would use their great influence within state apparatus and military forces to sabotage and influence the election.
Bloody election campaign
Many people have been killed during the election campaign by people suspected of being in the lead with the FRG. At the end of June, several journalists who had a critical attitude about the former dictator's bloody business were injured and killed. Nearly 3000 FRG supporters, several of them from the paramilitary groups Montt built up in the countryside in the 1980s, were designated as responsible for these actions. This led to Montt being completely isolated in the election.
The Central Election Commission could announce to Berger's party on Tuesday the Grand National Alliance, GANA and Alvaro Coloms National Unit of Hope (UNE), will fight for voters on December 28. On January 14, one of the candidates is expected to replace incumbent President Alfonso Portillo (FRG). The period lasts until 2008.
High participation
The turnout in the capital city of Guatemala City was as high as 75 percent, while the rest of the country could report between 60 and 70 percent.
Although the battle for presidential office is not decided before December 28, the election of Congress, local government and the 20 representatives of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) was decided on Sunday.
