Election season

On Sunday, Guatemalans go to the polls to elect a new President, Diputados (like MP´s) as well as local mayors and representatives. To be honest I have lost patience with politics recently both here and from the UK. I tend to read headlines and not much more as it´s all so depressing. In Guatemala, there are around 20 different parties, and the news stories have gone back and forth about which candidates are allowed to stand. The law prohibits anyone who was involved (or whose close relation was involved) in a military coup in the past. No president is able to stand for re-election, nor is his/her immediate family.... often leading to divorce (I´m not kidding!). Those parties with lots of money and power behind them, and who gain from corruption, have actively worked to prevent others from standing who would take a strong line against corruption. One fled the country to be safe from their threats. Others have travelled with confidence and been arrested in the USA on trafficking charges. There are a couple of new parties in the mix - with very different approaches to politics, but the odds are against them. All in all, it´s very unclear what will happen on Sunday. Usually no one party wins the majority (as the vote is split between 20-odd parties), so it often goes to a second round of votes between the 2 most popular.
But in practical terms, this is what election season looks like......