At stake in this election:

• The office of President of Guatemala

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Alfonso Antonion PORTILLO Cabrera
• Head of Government: President Alfonso Antonion PORTILLO Cabrera
• Assembly: Guatemala has a unicameral Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la Republica) with 158 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la Republica) 158 members are elected by popular vote to serve 4-year terms.

Main Candidates in the First Round of the Presidential race:

• Oscar Jose Rafael BERGER Perdomo*
  • Alliance: Grand National Alliance (GANA)**
• Alvaro COLOM Caballeros*
  • Party: National Unity for Hope (UNE)
• Jose Efrain RIOS Montt
  • Party: Guatemalan Republic Front (FRG)
• Leonel Eliseo LOPEZ Rodas
  • Party: National Advancement Party (PAN)
• Friederich Garcia-Gallont BISCHOF
  • Party: Unionista Party
• Rodrigo Asturias AMADO
  • Party: Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG)
• Jose Eduardo SUGER Cofiño
  • Party: Authentic Integral Development (DIA)
• Manuel Eduardo Conde ORELLANA
  • Party: Movimiento Social y Politico Cambio Nacional
• Other Candidates
  • Party: N/A

* Presidential candidates BERGER and COLOM will enter the second round of elections on December 28, 2003.

** GANA consists of the the Partido Patriota, Movimiento Reformador, Partido Solidardidad Nacional.

Last Presidential election:

• The last presidential election was held on November 7, 1999 with a run off held on December 26, 1999. In the second round, Alfonso Antonio PORTILLO Cabrera of the Guatemlan Republican Front (FRG) won the presidency by securing 68% of the votes against Oscar BERGER Perdomo of the National Advancement Party (PAN) who had 32% of the votes.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 12,573,346 (2003)
• Registered Voters: 5,073,282 (2003)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 6,436,434 (2003)

·         Is Guatemala a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (8 June 1981)

·         Has Guatemala ratified CEDAW: Yes (12 August 1982)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 13 (following the 2003 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 128 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Medium (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Guatemala a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Guatemala ratified CRPD: Yes (7 April 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 1,886,001 (est.)