GUATEMALA: parliamentary elections Congreso de la República, 1999

GUATEMALA
Parliamentary Chamber: Congreso de la República

ELECTIONS HELD IN 1999

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Chamber:

Congreso de la República

Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):

7 November 1999

Purpose of elections:

Elections were held for all the seats of the Congress of the Republic on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.

Background and outcome of elections:

On 7 November 1999, the first legislative and presidential elections were held since the signature of the peace agreements in December 1996. These agreements ended 36 years of civil war between the government and leftist guerrillas.
Thirteen political parties vied for the 113 seats in Parliament. Opinion polls showed three political groups as the front-runners: the Party of National Advancement (PAN), currently in power, the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG), founded by General Efrain Rios Montt, which had run the country for 17 months after coming to power through a coup d'Etat, and New Nation Alliance (ANN), a former guerrilla movement.
In the elections, which featured a higher turnout than the ones ten years earlier, the FRG won a majority in Parliament, taking 63 seats. The PAN lost 7 seats and came in second place with 36 seats, while the ANN picked up 10.
In first round of the presidential elections, none of the candidates had the 50% majority required by electoral law. The populist candidate of the FRG, Mr. Alfonso Portillo, polled nearly 48% of the votes. In the second round, on 26 December 1999, he won more than 68% of the votes, while the PAN's candidate, Mr. Oscar Berger, former Mayor of Guatemala City, polled nearly 32%.
Even though the FRG accused its opponent, the PAN, of engaging in electoral fraud and putting pressure on voters, observers from the Organization of American States and the European Union certified that of elections had been fair.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (7 November 1999): Elections results

Number of registered electors 4 458 744

Voters 2 396 883 (53.76%)

Blank or invalid ballot papers 279 011

Valid votes 2 117 872

Round no 1: Distribution of seats

Political Group Total

Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG) 63

National Advancement Party (PAN) 36

New Nation Alliance (ANN) 10

Others 4

Distribution of seats according to sex:

Men: 105

Women: 8

Percent of women: 7.08

<<< Return to the Historical Archive page of parliamentary election results for GUATEMALA <<<

Chamber:
	Congreso de la República
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	7 November 1999
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all the seats of the Congress of the Republic on the normal expiry of the members' term of office.
Background and outcome of elections:
	On 7 November 1999, the first legislative and presidential elections were held since the signature of the peace agreements in December 1996. These agreements ended 36 years of civil war between the government and leftist guerrillas. Thirteen political parties vied for the 113 seats in Parliament. Opinion polls showed three political groups as the front-runners: the Party of National Advancement (PAN), currently in power, the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG), founded by General Efrain Rios Montt, which had run the country for 17 months after coming to power through a coup d'Etat, and New Nation Alliance (ANN), a former guerrilla movement. In the elections, which featured a higher turnout than the ones ten years earlier, the FRG won a majority in Parliament, taking 63 seats. The PAN lost 7 seats and came in second place with 36 seats, while the ANN picked up 10. In first round of the presidential elections, none of the candidates had the 50% majority required by electoral law. The populist candidate of the FRG, Mr. Alfonso Portillo, polled nearly 48% of the votes. In the second round, on 26 December 1999, he won more than 68% of the votes, while the PAN's candidate, Mr. Oscar Berger, former Mayor of Guatemala City, polled nearly 32%. Even though the FRG accused its opponent, the PAN, of engaging in electoral fraud and putting pressure on voters, observers from the Organization of American States and the European Union certified that of elections had been fair.

Round no 1 (7 November 1999): Elections results
Number of registered electors	4 458 744
Voters	2 396 883 (53.76%)
Blank or invalid ballot papers	279 011
Valid votes	2 117 872

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total
Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG)	63
National Advancement Party (PAN)	36
New Nation Alliance (ANN)	10
Others	4

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	105
Women:	8
Percent of women:	7.08