Election Report

The national elections were held in Guatemala two weeks ago more or less successfully. In my town people lined up for hours to cast their ballots.

There were some encouraging signs. The percentage of female voters that arrived to the polls increased, and international observers saw no evidence of mass fraud. No presidential candidate mustered more than 50% of the vote, and the top two guys head into a runoff scheduled for early November. However, local contests became hotly disputed in some municipalities; counting stations were attacked and ballot boxes burned in a few towns, and even in my village hundreds of people blockaded the town hall for days contesting the reelection of the current mayor.

In family news, Baby Lucas is healthy and growing. His mother Martina is fully recovered. Here is a picture of Lucas cradled in the arms of his older sister Nancy.
Nancy just turned nine on Sunday. We had a party complete with piñata and cake. I didn’t get to thwack the piñata, but I ate some of the peanuts that burst out of it.