Polls Open in Controversial Guatemala Elections

Just days after Otta Perez Molina resigned as president amid a huge customs corruption scandal, thousands of Guatemalans have begun to head to the polls Sunday to elect a new president and legislature.

The elections are being monitored by around 5,000 international and 15,000 national monitors.

The head monitor of the American Organization of States (OAS) delegation Juan Pablo Carlazzoli explained on Saturday during a televised interview that they were concerned about violent incidents and an illegal propaganda campaign reported before the elections.

IN DEPTH: Guatemala Votes Amid Crisis

Since Saturday afternoon, citizens have blocked several towns to prevent fraudulent strategies denounced in previous elections. The organized citizens are controlling the entry of people into their towns to guarantee that only people asinged to the local polling stations can vote there.

Authorities are expecting a much lower turnout than previous elections, which experts have pointed out could reach as low as 30 percent.

Guatemala's Public Ministry has created a special Attorney for Electoral Crimes ahead of the elections, to ensure that any disruption of the voting process can be criminally charged.

During a press conference on Saturday, the Electoral Tribunal revealed that their website has faced cyber attacks, however, international experts were able to help the institution stop the attack.

The tribunal also denounced death threats against its members. However there were no reports on incidents regarding the officials.

Analysis: Who Will Succeed Perez Molina as Guatemala's President?