Massive turnout in Guatemala vote

Rios Montt has overshadowed Guatemalan politics for decades

Polls have closed in Guatemala's presidential election which has been marked by a huge turnout.

Oscar Berger, the former mayor of Guatemala City, appears to be leading, according to local media.

However, there seems to be a race on for second place between the ex-military leader Efrain Rios Montt and centrist-left candidate Alvaro Colom.

Two women were killed in a stampede at a polling station as a crowd rushed to cast their ballots.

Late on Saturday, Ronaldo Morales - a political secretary of one of the leading contenders Mr Colom - was shot and injured by unidentified gunmen at his home.

Mr Morales' wife said the attack was politically motivated and blamed it on the detestable conditions in the country.

Violence feared

The BBC's Claire Marshall in Guatemala City says people will be watching the reactions of Mr Rios Montt's supporters, and particularly the former paramilitary groups as the result becomes clear.

It is not yet clear whether Mr Berger has got 50% of the vote, which would give him an outright win.

There were too many people who wanted to vote Oscar Edmundo Bolanos

There are fears that if the result is particularly close, then it could be contested by either side, our correspondent says.

A second round would be held on 28 December, if no candidate gets 50% of the vote in the first round.

People queued for hours to vote, many having travelled for hours to reach voting stations from the country's remote jungle and mountain regions.

"There were too many people who wanted to vote," said Oscar Edmundo Bolanos, president of the national electoral board.

Assassinations

Mr Rios Montt led a coup in 1982 and got his name on the ballot despite a constitutional rule that nobody who had overthrown a government could stand for the presidency.

It is only the second presidential election since peace accords in 1996 ended a 36-year civil war.

Mr Rios Montt was met with whistles and boos as he arrived to cast his vote at a polling station in Guatemala City.

More than 22 people connected with political parties have been assassinated since campaigning began in May.

There were riots in Guatemala City in June when it looked as if Mr Rios Montt would be barred from standing.

They were allegedly organised by his mobs.

More than 2,000 election monitors are in Guatemala to try to ensure that the election is fair.

The lorries which carry the ballot papers will be tracked by satellite.