 The elections were regarded as fraudulent; constitutional guarantees had been suspended for a month and opposition candidate José León Castillo had been unable to campaign.Estrada was declared the winner with 99.8% of the vote, although the number of votes cast is estimated to have been at least three times the number of people eligible to vote at the time.Legislative Assembly Decree 413 of 26 September declared that Estrada's term of office would begin on 15 March 1899, but he assumed the presidency on 2 October.