Conservative Alejandro Giammattei elected as Guatemala's president, defeating former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off
Alejandro Giammattei, presidential candidate for the"Vamos" political party, arrives at a hotel he is using as his campaign headquarters, in Guatemala City, Guatemala August 11, 2019.
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 vote s and only a few thousand left to count when the court declared him the victor. But the 63-year-old, a doctor by profession, scored well on voter concerns such as the economy, corruption and security, according to Risa Grais-Targow of the Eurasia Group.One of Morales's last acts as president was to authorize an agreement with the US administration of Donald Trump designating Guatemala as a "safe third country," which would permit Washington to turn away asylum seekers who didn't seek refuge when passing through Guatemala.
Remittances from Guatemalans in the US are a crucial part of the economy, reaching a record $9.3 billion last year. That compares to Guatemala's export revenue of $10.5 billion.The agreement was reached last month despite Guatemala's constitutional court having earlier granted an injunction blocking Morales from signing the deal.
Morales, barred by Guatemalan law from seeking a second term, urged his replacement to reduce undocumented migration, improve education and tackle chronic malnutrition in the under-fives, which affects 46 percent of infants.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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