Guatemala Election 2015: Follow Live Results As Nation Votes For New President Amid Turmoil

Live results from the 2015 Guatemala election will be available online as the nation turns out to vote in what looks to be a contentious election.

There are a total of 14 candidates running for president of Guatemala, with Manuel Baldizon leading the pack. The 44-year-old businessman has been leading the polls with roughly 30 percent support, but if he or any of the other candidates fail to reach 50 percent the election will go to a runoff held October 25.

The central American nation has been filled with turmoil, with former president Otto Perez Molina in court for allegations that he took bribes in exchange for letting companies skip import taxes.

Perez Molina denies the charges, and a judge will decide if there is enough evidence to send the case to trial.

Many Guatemalans had demonstrated against Perez Molina, Al Jazeera noted, but they also demanded that Sunday’s election be postponed.

With that wish not granted, voters will now go to the polls in Guatemala to select a new president.

Alejandro Maldondo, who took over the presidency in May, said he hopes to rebuild the public’s trust in its government.

“I have the task of choosing a government made up of tried and trusted, mature people who believe in our institutions,” he told Al Jazeera. “But I also want to incorporate youngsters, social activists to give those generations the opportunity to build the future.”

Many are planning to protest the 2015 Guatemala election, either by wearing black to the polls or casting blank ballots.

Political followers say many residents are fed up with the process and the same “old guard” candidates who have time and again found controversy.

“The people are rejecting this political system, the mafia takeover of democracy. They feel like voting is simply selecting the next person who will loot the country,” said Manfredo Marroquin, president of the influential civic group Citizen Action.

“They are not rejecting democracy,” Marroquin added. “What they’re demanding is to reset, run an anti-virus and start over from scratch.”

Those who follow live results of the 2015 Guatemala election will likely not learn the country’s new president. The BBC noted that experts believe none of the candidates will reach the 50 percent threshold in Sunday’s voting, sending it to a runoff.

Those who want to follow live results of the 2015 Guatemala election can turn to the Diaro de Central America as well as El Periodico.

[Picture by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images]