Guatemala Resumes Presidential Campaign
The Holy Week holidays are over and Guatemalan political parties have resumed the race for the presidency, although the official call for the elections will be made 23 days from now.

Twenty parties and 16 presidential pre-candidates have registered so far, but only three of them have chosen their ballot partner for September s general elections.

The UNE (National Unity of Hope) welcomed Dr. Rafael Espada, who returned from his residence in the United States to be the vice presidential candidate on Alvaro Colom s ballot.

GANA (Grand National Alliance) will hold its national assembly on April 15 to present Alejandro Giammattei and Alfredo Vila as its presidential and vice presidential candidates respectively, to remain in power for another mandate.

The FRG (Guatemalan Republican Front) of former Dictator Efrain Rios Montt will also meet this month to ratify its presidential formula of Luis Rabbe and Haroldo Quej.

The other parties are in a race against time to choose their candidates, who must register before May 2, when the campaign will begin officially.

According to polls, UNE s Alvaro Colom tops the list of candidates with 21.2 percent of intended votes, followed by Otto Perez Molina of the Patriot Party, with 10.5 percent, and Alejandro Giammattei of GANA, with 7.5 percent.

Nobel Peace Prizewinner Rigoberta Menchu, of the alliance Meeting for Guatemala-Winaq, ranks fourth with 2.1 percent, far behind the first three candidates.