At stake in this election:

• 158 seats in the Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la Republica)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Alfonso Antonion PORTILLO Cabrera
• Head of Government: President Alfonso Antonion PORTILLO Cabrera
• 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 popular vote to serve a 4-year term.
• In the Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la Republica) 158 members are elected by popular vote.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Grand National Alliance (GANA)*
  • Leader: Jorge Francisco Gallardo FLORES (PSN), Otto Fernando Perez MOLINA (PP), Alfredo Skinner-Klee ARENALES (MR)
  • Seats won in this election: 49
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG)
  • Leader: Efrain RIOS Montt
  • Seats won in this election: 41
  • Seats won in last election: 63
• Party: National Unity of Hope / (UNE)
  • Leader: Alvarado COLOM Caballeros
  • Seats won in this election: 30
  • Seats won in last election: 6
• Party: National Advancement Party (PAN)
  • Leader: Leonel LOPEZ Rodas
  • Seats won in this election: 17
  • Seats won in last election: 37
• Party: Unionista Party
  • Leader: Friederich Garcia-Gallont BISCHOF
  • Seats won in this election: 7
  • Seats won in last election: 10
• Party: New Nation Alliance (ANN)******
  • Leader: Nineth Verenca MONTENEGRO Cottom, Rodolfo BAUER Paiz, Jorge Antonio BALSELLS TUT
  • Seats won in this election: 7
  • Seats won in last election: 9
• Party: Guatemalan Christian Democracy (DCG)
  • Leader: Vinicio CEREZON Arevalo
  • Seats won in this election: N/A
  • Seats won in last election: 2
• Party: Union Democratica (UD)
  • Leader: Rodolfo PAIZ Andrade
  • Seats won in this election: N/A
  • Seats won in last election: N/A
• Party: Others
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this election: 7
  • Seats won in last election: N/A

* GANA consists of the the Partido Patriota (PP), Movimiento Reformador (MR), Partido Solidardidad Nacional (PSN)
****** The ANN consists of a coalition between the Authentic Integral Development (DIA), the Guatemalan Nacional Revolutionary Unity (URNG) and several smaller splinter groups.

Last Legislative election:

• Last parliamentary elections were held on November 7, 1999.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 12,573,346 (2003)
• Registered Voters: 5,073,282 (2003)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 6,436,434 (2003)

·         Is Guatemala a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (8 June 1981)

·         Has Guatemala ratified CEDAW: Yes (12 August 1982)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 13 (following the 2003 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 128 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Medium (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Guatemala a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Guatemala ratified CRPD: Yes (7 April 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 1,886,001 (est.)