At stake in this election:

•The office of President of Guatemala

Description of government structure:

•Chief of State: President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros

•Head of Government: President Alvaro COLOM Caballeros

•Assembly: Guatemala has a unicameral Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la Republica) with 158 seats.

Description of electoral system:

•The President is elected by absolute majority vote through a two-round system to serve a 4-year term.

•In the Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la Republica) 158 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system to serve 4-year terms.***

*** Of the 158 members, 127 are departmental-level representatives selected through 22 departmental lists; 31 are national-level representatives selected in one, nationwide district. Votes are tabulated using the D'Hondt method.

Main Candidates in the Second Round of the Presidential race:

•Otto Pérez PEREZ Molina

Party: Patriotic Party (PP) / Partido Patriota

•Manuel BALDIZON

Party: Renewed Democratic Liberty Party / Libertad Democrática Renovada (Lider)

Read more on IFES Election Guide