 The subsequent elections took place in December 1944 , and were broadly considered free and fair , although only literate men were given the vote . Unlike in similar historical situations , none of the junta members stood for election . Arévalo 's closest challenger was Adrián Recinos , whose campaign included a number of individuals identified with the Ubico regime . The ballots were tallied on 19 December 1944 , and Arévalo won in a landslide , receiving more than four times as many ballots as the other candidates combined . 
