No vacation spot

13 September 2011 By Martin Hutchinson

The two leading candidates in the Central American country’s election offer reasonable economic policies and small government. But with population growth nearly double Mexico’s, combined with poor literacy and a security problem, making the economy work properly will be tough.

This content is for Subscribers only

To access full Breakingviews.com content you must be a subscriber. Please use the following link to request a trial.

Context News

Otto Perez, a former general who promised to send troops into the streets to fight criminal gangs, was leading with 36 percent of the vote in the first round of Guatemala’s presidential election on Sept. 11, with nearly all the votes counted. He is likely to face centrist businessman Manuel Baldizon, with 24 percent, in a Nov. 6 run-off.

Guatemala’s crude birthrate (per UNICEF statistics) was 32 per 1,000 in 2009 compared to 18 in Mexico, 21 in Peru, 20 in Colombia and 16 in Costa Rica. Its population growth rate in 2000-09 was 2.8 percent per annum, compared to 1.2 percent in Mexico, 1.4 percent in Peru, 1.7 percent in Colombia and 1.9 percent in Costa Rica. Its youth literacy rate in 2004-08, averaging males and females, was 86.5 percent, compared to 98 percent in Mexico, 97.5 percent in Peru, 98 percent in Colombia and 98.5 percent in Costa Rica.

Email a friend

Please complete the form below.

Required fields *

No vacation spot

This content is for Subscribers only

Existing Users Log In

Email a friend

Please complete the form below.