Rightist leads Guatemala vote, second round needed

GUATEMALA CITY, Sep 10 (Reuters) A right-wing former general who wants an army crackdown on rampant crime was ahead in Guatemala's presidential election but lacked enough support to avoid a Nov 4 runoff, early results showed.

Former Gen. Otto Perez Molina had 26 per cent of the vote, while center-leftist Alvaro Colom and ruling party candidate Alejandro Giammattei trailed him with more than 22 per cent each, with 24 per cent of polling stations reporting.

Candidates need more than 50 per cent of the vote to win in the first round.

REUTERS JT VC1130