Ex-dictator seeks presidency in Guatemala

A populist former military dictator accused of acts of genocide against his people is seeking to return to the presidency of Guatemala on Sunday, this time by democratic vote.

Gen. Efrain Rios Montt, a grandfatherly looking evangelical Protestant, no longer wears his military uniform. But he creates fear among many Guatemalans who recall his first time in office, one of the bloodiest periods in the country's civil war.

Sunday's election is only the second presidential race since a peace accord in 1996 ended the three-decades-long conflict between leftist guerrillas and a series of right-wing governments. An estimated 200,000 people were killed and 50,000 "disappeared." During his two-year rule in the early 1980s, Rios Montt is accused of ordering massacres in Mayan Indian villages in the remote highlands during a "scorched earth" counterinsurgency.

The general, 77, is trailing in the polls to a coalition led by businessman Oscar Berger. But local analysts and international observers warn that low turnout because of voter intimidation by diehard supporters of Rios Montt could swing the election his way. They predict Berger is unlikely to clinch the outright majority needed to avoid a runoff between the top two vote-getters.

Some leading Guatemalans, including former Nobel Peace Prize winner and Mayan Indian leader Rigoberta Menchu, fear violence if the result is close.

Critics of the general say he has blood on his hands and should be excluded from running.

"You need democratic people, and obviously Rios Montt is not a democrat," said Helen Mack, a human rights activist whose sister was murdered by the military.

U.S. officials have expressed doubts they would be able to have dealings with Rios Montt if elected. Under U.S. immigration laws, former coup leaders aren't allowed in the country.

Opponents unsuccessfully tried to have the general banned from the election under a constitutional clause excluding former coup leaders. Rios Montt's political party, the ruling Guatemalan Revolutionary Front (FRG) is widely considered to be a throwback to the country's violent past. Some of its members are suspected of ties to human rights violations and organized crime groups.

After a court ruling barred him from running in July, a mob of hooded supporters of the general attacked Guatemala City's posh business district armed with iron bars. Journalists were chased and a TV reporter died of a heart attack.

The FRG also has sought to mobilize the support of former members of the Civil Defense Patrols (PACs) responsible for many of the civil war atrocities. The PACs are demanding financial compensation for their paramilitary service, with the backing of the FRG. But human rights groups say civil war victims deserve compensation first and the PACs should be investigated for war crimes.

The general's campaign has been hurt by allegations of corruption under the FRG government of President Alfonso Portillo, which has been hit by banking and drug corruption scandals.

International observers say the election campaign has been marred by accusations of "vote-buying" and widespread tension in rural areas where fear of Rios Montt's return to power is highest.

"Observers have received reliable information about widespread intimidation by some political parties, particularly the FRG, and especially intimidation targeted at specific communities," according to a report by the Atlanta-based Carter Center, headed by former President Jimmy Carter.

- Information from Times wires was used in this report.

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