Businessman and political newcomer Carlos Pineda was the top choice of voters ahead of Guatemala's June 25 presidential election in a poll released on Tuesday, with former first lady Sandra Torres second and veteran diplomat Edmond Mulet third.
Voters will be choosing a successor to President Alejandro Giammattei, whose term ends in January 2024.
The Prensa Libre poll showed Pineda with the support of 23.1% of respondents, followed by Torres at 19.5%, Mulet at 10.1% and Zury Rios, the daughter of the late dictator Efrain Rios Montt, at 9.2%. The poll surveyed 1,202 voters between April 14 and 23, asking them to chose among 23 presidential candidates. It had a margin of error of 2.8%.
Giammattei is a conservative who has been widely criticized for his administration's repression of judges, prosecutors, journalists and activists - many of whom are now in exile.
Pineda is making his first run at the presidency, while Torres has run several times previously and Mulet once before.
If no candidate achieves a majority on June 25, an Aug. 20 runoff would be held to determine the winner.
(Reporting by Sofia Menchu; Writing by Sarah Morland; Editing by Will Dunham)
