GUATEMALA
Parliamentary Chamber: Congreso de la República

ELECTIONS HELD IN 1990

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Chamber:
  Congreso de la República


Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):

  11 November 1990


Purpose of elections:

  Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members’ term of office.


Background and outcome of elections:

  The 1990 congressional elections were held concurrently with polling for President of the Republic and some 300 municipalities.

Twelve candidates - ranging politically from centre to extreme right - were in the running to succeed to Mr. Mario Vinicio Cerezo for the presidency. The candidacy of former military ruler Gen. Rios Montt had been declared invalid by the Constitutional Court on the ground that Article 186 of the Constitution debarred anyone who had been the author or beneficiary of a military coup from participation in elections. Altogether 1,520 candidates (1,245 for district seats, 275 for national list seats) contested the enlarged Congress’ 116 seats.

In contrast with an election campaign which was marred by violence resulting from armed confrontation in the country, polling day was generally peaceful. Mr. Jorge Carpio Nicolle of the Union of the National Centre (UCN) and Mr. Jorge Serrano Elias of the Solidarity Action Movement (MAS) topped the presidential voting, but since no candidate achieved the required absolute majority, a second round run-off between them proved necessary. In the congressional results, UCN emerged as leader with 41 seats to 28 for the Christian Democratic Party (PDCG) as eight different groups gained representation.

In the run-off for President on 6 January 1991, the conservative Mr. Serrano recorded a clear victory over his rival, obtaining 68% of the vote. After taking office on 14 January, and forming a multi-party Cabinet of “national unity”, he announced the formulation of an emergency economic plan to control inflation, proposed a social pact between labour, government and business, and promised to finalize a peace agreement with the armed rebel groups operating for years in Guatemala.

STATISTICS
Round no 1 (11 November 1990): Elections results  
Number of registered electors 3,204,955
Voters 55% (approx.)

Round no 1: Distribution of seats  
Political Group Total District Seats National Seats
Union of the National Centre (UCN) 41 33 8
Guatemalan Christian Democratic Party (PDCG) 28 22 6
Solidarity Action Movement (MAS) 18 10 8
National Advancement Party (PAN) 12 7 5
No-Venta Platform (PID/FRG/FUN) Coalition 11 11 0
National Liberation Movement/National Advance Front (MLN/FAN Coalition) 4 3 1
Revolutionary Party (PR) 1 1 0
Popular Alliance 5/Democratic Socialist Party (AP5/PSD coalition) 1 0 1


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Copyright © 1990 Inter-Parliamentary Union