Guatemala City , Guatemala ( CNN ) -- The two top candidates in Guatemala 's presidential race are headed for a runoff after tallies Monday revealed neither had secured enough votes to win the election . Otto Perez Molina , a retired army general who pledged to take a tough stand on crime , garnered the most votes in Sunday 's elections . With almost all of the ballots counted Monday night , Perez Molina had 36 % of votes -- far short of the more than 50 % needed to win outright . His closest competitor , businessman Manuel Baldizon , had 23 % of votes , said Guatemala 's election authority . Observers from the Organization of American States criticized Guatemalan election officials ' apparent disorganization and slow vote-counting after Sunday 's election , the state-run AGN news agency reported . The watchdogs said they hoped the process would improve in the second round of voting , scheduled for November 6 . Dealing with widespread violence and the growing threat of organized crime figured heavily in the campaigns of all 10 candidates vying for the presidency . Baldizon championed a crime-fighting plan called `` Security Now ! '' Campaign posters for Perez Molina , who led in polls before Sunday 's election , featured a clenched fist . The 60-year-old retired general pledged to bring a `` mano dura '' -- firm hand -- to Guatemala 's highest office . In a debate co-hosted by CNN en Español last month , Perez Molina called for `` elite units of the army '' to play a larger role in the nation 's battle against gangs and drug cartels . But that proposed approach -- and Perez Molina 's high rank in the military during Guatemala 's decades-long civil war -- worries human rights groups both in Guatemala and abroad . `` These groups have begun questioning his military past and his participation in the war against the insurgents during the armed conflict . Undoubtedly , this issue will be present during his presidency if he wins the elections , '' said Miguel Castillo , a political analyst at Guatemala 's Francisco Marroquin University . Concerns stem from the fact that the Guatemalan military committed multiple atrocities during the civil war , though Perez Molina has never been directly implicated in any of them , Castillo said . Perez Molina is campaigning for president for a second time . He was defeated in 2007 by incumbent President Alvaro Colom . `` We would have liked to win in the first round , but we are prepared with a revision of plans and strategy to face the second phase of this electoral process , '' he said early Monday , according to AGN . First-time candidate Baldizon , 41 , also said he was ready for the next round , AGN reported . The businessman and attorney , who is running under the banner of the Leader Party , has energized young people . His campaign slogan was `` Only the people can save the people . '' The youngest of all the candidates , Baldizon espouses a concept he calls `` renewed democratic liberty '' in which all members of society have a role to play in seeking solutions to common problems . `` In order to change Guatemala , we need a president who 's really committed to our nation , with a calling for service , and who truly wants to change Guatemala , '' Baldizon said . Poverty is endemic in Guatemala , and the country has one of the worst crime rates in Latin America . Forty-three percent of children under 5 are chronically malnourished . And the murder rate last year was 42 per 100,000 people -- one of the highest in the world . In a Vox Latina national survey in July , more than two-thirds of Guatemalans said violence was the issue that concerned them most , far outpacing the combined totals for the economy , unemployment , poverty and lack of education . This is only the fourth time that Guatemala has held presidential elections since peace accords were signed in 1996 , officially ending a civil war that devastated the Central American country for 36 years . The conflict left more than 100,000 people dead and a million refugees . The new president will take office in January . CNN 's Fernando del Rincon , Rafael Romo and Arthur Brice , and journalist Patzy Vasquez contributed to this report .
Retired businessman Otto Perez has received the most votes , but must face a runoff . Businessman Manuel Baldizon is running for a second - place finish . The Organization of American States reported slow vote - counting . Dealing with widespread corruption has weighed heavily in the campaign .