Alvaro Colom, who won through to the second round of Guatemala's 2007 presidential elections, said Tuesday that he will negotiate with other parties to secure the final victory in Nov. 4 runoff.
"I have no doubt we will win the second round, but it needs all sectors to participate," he said.
Alongside his running mate, Rafael Espada, Colom declared "we have the the physical, academic and political training to govern in the benefit of the entire nation."
Colom, a trained engineer and founder of the National Union of Hope (UNE), thanked all Guatemalans for lifting his party to the top from an original fourth place.
The UNE leader led Sunday's presidential race with 28.38 percent of the vote. Otto Perez, who heads the right-wing Patriot Party, finished the second with 23.66 percent.
As no candidate netted more than 50 percent of the vote, a runoff between the top two candidates were scheduled for Nov. 4.
Colom said he would negotiate with the Grand National Alliance's Alejandro Giammattei, who won 17 percent of the vote, and the Unionist Party's Alvaro Arzu, who was re-elected mayor of Guatemala City.
He was optimistic about the national plan he had been creating for seven years, saying national unity will allow Guatemala to solve its problems, including poverty which affects 51 percent of the population.
The current government's policies did not allow growth, he said, adding that under his leadership Guatemala would see a complete transformation.
Source: Xinhua
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