In the sixth round, Venezuela decisvely closed the gap it had behind Guatemala, with the two sides tying their votes after five rounds of strong Guatemalan leads. Meanwhile, Mexico has put itself up as an alternative candidate, and has likely voted for itself in the past two rounds. What's next?

Round seven to come...

In the seventh, Cuba voted for itself, as did Mexico. Five continued to abstain, and Guatemala's vote count increased to 96, while Venezuela slipped to 89.

Round eight:  102 for Guatemala, 85 for Venzuela.  Five continued to abstain.  Word has it the Venezuelan ambassador is about to speak to the press.  I suspect he won't be holding a white flag when he does, though I do suspect that Ambassador Bolton's mustache will still be white when he's done.

Round nine:  107 to 81 for Guatemala.  It seems like Venezuela really has a solid core of supporters who simply won't budge.  I am beginning to suspect that any party that pulls away and strikes out on its own is more likely to siphon votes from Guatemala than from Venezuela.