1999 Guatemalan general election explained
| Country: | Guatemala |
| Previous Election: | 1995 Guatemalan general election |
| Next Election: | 2003 Guatemalan general election |
| Next Year: | 2003 |
| Module: | | Embed: | yes | | Election Date: | 7 November 1999 (first round)
| | Election Name: | Presidential election | | Type: | presidential | | Turnout: | 53.76% (first round) 6.96pp
40.37% (second round) 3.49pp | | Image1: | Foto oficial de Alfonso Portillo (cropped).jpg | | Nominee1: | Alfonso Portillo | | Popular Vote1: | 1,184,932 | | Percentage1: | 68.32% | | Party1: | FRG | | Running Mate1: | Juan Francisco Reyes | | Nominee2: | Óscar Berger | | Popular Vote2: | 549,408 | | Percentage2: | 31.68% | | Party2: | National Advancement Party | | Color2: | FFFF00 | | Running Mate2: | Arabella Castro | | President | | Before Election: | Álvaro Arzú | | Before Party: | National Advancement Party | | Posttitle: | President-elect | | After Election: | Alfonso Portillo | | After Party: | FRG |
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General elections were held in Guatemala on 7 November 1999, with a second round of the presidential elections on 26 December.[1] Alfonso Portillo won the presidential elections, whilst his Guatemalan Republican Front also won the Congressional elections. Voter turnout was 53.8% on 7 November and 40.4% on 26 December.[2]
Media owner Remigio Ángel González gave more than $2.6 million and free airtime to Alfonso Portillo's campaign,[3] which led to some political analysts to claim that the free adverts helped Portillo win the election. After becoming president, Portillo appointed Gonzalez's brother-in-law Luis Rabbé to the post of Minister of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing, a post which included responsibility for overseeing the broadcast media.[4] The presidential election also established a pattern for the next 16 years in which the runner-up of the previous contest then went on to win.
Results
Congress
Bibliography
- Villagrán Kramer, Francisco. Biografía política de Guatemala: años de guerra y años de paz. FLACSO-Guatemala, 2004.
- Political handbook of the world 1999. New York, 2000.
Notes and References
- [Dieter Nohlen]
- Nohlen, p324
- Rockwell, Rick and Janus, Noreene (2001), "Stifling Dissent: the fallout from a Mexican media invasion of Central America, Journalism Studies, 2: 4, 497 — 512
- http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20020609&slug=theghost09 Domination of Latin airwaves has 'Ghost' scaring his critics
