Guatemala elects right-wing president Alejandro Giammattei who pledged to build ‘economic wall’ to stop people leaving
- Giammattei will inherit a nation plagued by years of political scandal, where a recent surge in emigration has laid bare the monumental challenges ahead
- Guatemala is the leading country of origin for migrants and asylum seekers apprehended at the southern border of the US
Conservative Alejandro Giammattei swept aside his centre-left rival in Guatemala’s presidential election on Sunday, and now inherits an unpopular migration deal agreed under duress with the Trump administration that could severely test his country.
With preliminary results from more than 95 per cent of the polling stations counted, the electoral tribunal declared Giammattei the winner with almost 59 per cent of the vote, ahead of his centre-left rival, former first lady Sandra Torres, back on 41 per cent.
“It will be an immense honour to be president of this country that I love so much,” Giammattei said to a crowd of cheering supporters at a news conference in Guatemala City. “We will rebuild Guatemala. I have no words to say how grateful I am.”
Yielding to the threat of a raft of economic sanctions from Trump, outgoing Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales agreed to make his country a so-called safe third country for migrants, despite its high levels of poverty and violence.
