The electoral tribunal announced the victory of conservative Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei in the presidential election in Guatemala, after the second round against center-left candidate Sandra Torres.

On Sunday, 11 August, Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei won nearly 59% of the vote, according to the results of voting on 95% of polling stations, against former first lady Sandra Torres, credited with 41% of the vote. "We are going to rebuild Guatemala, I have no words to say how grateful I am," said Giammattei to a crowd of supporters. "We will fight corruption from the first day."

A major challenge : the fight against immigration

The future leader will take office in January. It will face a major challenge after signing an unpopular agreement with the United States to fight illegal immigration, under pressure from US President Donald Trump.

Alejandro Giammattei, a skilled surgeon and a 63-year-old former public sector official who had failed in the previous three polls, called the deal "bad news", saying Guatemala was not ready to face a increase in the number of asylum seekers.

A poll published last week by the Guatemalan newspaper Prensa Libre shows that more than eight out of ten respondents are opposed to the idea that the country welcomes foreign migrants to grant them asylum.

A country undermined by corruption and popular grumbling

The rampant violence and discontent of the population towards corruption and impunity in this country of 17 million inhabitants has led an increasing number of Guatemalans to seek to immigrate to the United States.

On the program side, Alejandro Giammattei proposes the death penalty for some criminals and is committed to building an "investment wall" on the border between Guatemala and Mexico to limit immigration.

President Jimmy Morales, who could not run again, took office in January 2016 promising to eradicate corruption.

With Reuters