Decision 2007

The elections passed pretty quietly in Comalapa. Mateo and I did quite a bit to support our candidate for mayor, Valeriano Pixchit. He is a board member of Chuwi Tinamit, the host developement organization for the Long Way Home here in Comalapa. Both Mateo and I advised Valeriano before debates and at other key moments of the campaign. We sat in on meetings, supported him at rallies and undertook development projects in the name of his candidacy. While I wish that Valeriano and other rural, Guatemalan politicians like him had a little more education and a little less self-interest, I truly believe that out of all the candidates for mayor of Comalapa, he was the best one for the job.
Unfortunately, politics in Guatemala, like in many countries, is not as simple as doing good work, gaining experience and proving that you are the best man for the job. Some people say the political system here is rigged from the top, and has been for years. Others say that only the candidates with money and exposure win, which appears to have some truth. And still others say that all Guatemalan political candidates are just waiting to cash-in once elected.
In any case, the elections passed reletively peacefully and with no major corruption scandals. Voter participation was at an all time high for a democratic Guatemala, 65%, which is more than can be said for the U.S. They had a nation-wide youth election, which has been attributed with raising registered voter participation in the elections, while building a legitimate democratic future for Guatemala as well. Ten years after the 1996 Peace Accords ended the thirty year Civil War here, Guatemala appears to be on a firm, but imperfect, democratic path.
Nevertheless, Valeriano lost and so did Rigoberta Menchu. In fact, her campaign appears to have disappointed expectations, while she recieved her anticipated 2% of the national vote, some of the mayorial candidates on her party´s ticket recieved more votes than her in many departments. For now the two big winners were Alvaro Colom of the UNE Party, and Otto Perez of Partido Patriota. The two spent the most money and can be seen on the most billboards throughout Guatemala. In many peoples opinion, neither offer anything new or exciting for Guatemala, just more of the same machine politics. Since no one recieved a 50% majority vote in the primary elections last week these two candidates will have a ¨segunda vuelta¨on the 4th of November to determine who the next President of Guatemala will be.