Second Round of Guatemala Elections Started Today

The second round of the presidential elections in Guatemala began today. 16,668 schools

were ordered by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) to get the votes until 18:00 local (00:00 GMT).

The Guatemalan people must choose between Otto Perez Molina, who is the favorite to win the elections according polls, and Manuel Baldizón, a populist lawyer, to govern the country for a period of four years (2012-2016).

About 25,400 officers of the National Civil Police and more than 7,000 soldiers were deployed on Friday across the country to ensure the safety of the polls.

The TSE estimated that the first results of the vote are published at 20:00 local (02:00 GMT Monday), and will be updated every five minutes to compliment all polling stations.

(MS)