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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Jody Garcia in Guatemala City and agencies

Guatemala elections to serve as crucial test for democracy in Central America

Street vendors display signs of Guatemalan candidate Sandra Torres
Street vendors display signs of the Guatemalan candidate Sandra Torres, who has cast herself as the continuity candidate against Bernardo Arévalo, who has campaigned against corruption. Photograph: Luis Acosta/AFP/Getty Images

Guatemala is bracing for elections this weekend seen as a key test for the rule of law, amid growing concerns over the state of democracy in Central America. Sunday’s vote takes place against a backdrop of smear campaigns, legal manoeuvring and an apparent effort to force the leading candidate out of the race.

Opinion polls show the centre-left anti-corruption candidate Bernardo Arévalo with a double-digit lead over his opponent, Sandra Torres, a former first lady who in 2011 divorced her husband in a failed attempt to dodge a constitutional ban on close relatives of the incumbent running for the office.

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