GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The road to Sunday's presidential election in Guatemala has been a chaotic flurry of court rulings and shenanigans, illegal party-switching and allegations of malfeasance that torpedoed the candidacies of two of the top three candidates.

Observers say the result is widespread disillusion and distrust in the electoral process in this small Central American country that has seen hundreds of thousands flee poverty and gang violence in recent years in a bid for a new life in the United States.

Polls favor former first lady Sandra Torres to finish first, but with 19 candidates in the race it is unlikely she will win the absolute majority necessary to avoid a runoff.