Jimmy Morales was inaugurated as president of Guatemala during a swearing-in ceremony in Guatemala City on Thursday (January 14).
Morales, a former TV comedian who had never held office, swept to power in October after public anger over a corruption scandal that deepened distrust of the country’s political establishment.
The 46-year-old Morales overwhelmingly beat centre-left rival and former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off vote despite his lack of government experience and some policy ideas that strike many as eccentric.
Voters pointed to widespread discontent with Guatemala’s political class, compounded by a U.N.-backed investigation into a multi-million dollar customs racket that led in September to the resignation and arrest of former president Otto Perez. (Reuters)