Giammattei elected President of Guatemala

Alejandro Giammattei was elected as Guatemala’s president on Sunday, defeating former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off, the central American country’s electoral court said.

Giammattei will succeed corruption-tainted outgoing President Jimmy Morales, who leaves office in January.

He had polled almost 58.5 percent with a lead of 550,000 votes and only a few thousand left to count when the court declared him the victor.

The president is elected for a single four-year term.

The 63-year-old Giammattei stood for the right-wing Vamos (Let’s Go) party and this is his fourth attempt at becoming president. Each time, he has run for a different party.

Mr Giammattei is a trained doctor who was named director of the Guatemalan prison system in 2006.

 

Via BBC