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In Guatemala, the new president, Alejandro Giammattei, took power Tuesday, January 14. He succeeds Jimmy Morales, the outgoing president, under the investigation of an embezzlement. Alejandro Giammattei has promised to fight the corruption that plagues the country.
Alejandro Giammattei, former director of prison administration , was elected with 58% of the vote. A very tenacious political figure in Guatemalan political life (he ran four times in the presidential election, the last of which was victorious), a doctor by profession, he is reputed to be impulsive and irascible.
Corruption, a plague in Guatemala
He promised to fight the criminals, the testosterone drug traffickers, and restore the death penalty, but also to tackle corruption. He takes office while a legal debate is being held on the immunity status of his predecessor. Outgoing President Jimmy Morales ended his mandate with only 20% of favorable opinions and his presidency was marred by numerous corruption scandals. He also announced that he wanted to do without help from CICIG, the United Nations commission to fight corruption.
► Read also : Guatemala decides to end the UN anti-corruption mission
60% of the population below the poverty line
Alejandro Giammattei, 63, also promised to tackle poverty. Almost 60% of the 15 million Guatemalans live below the poverty line. And we see that the country supplies, with neighboring Honduras and El Salvador, one of the largest contingents of candidates for the "American dream" and who throw themselves on the roads to flee the misery and violence of the gangs.
The new president has also planned to question the migration pact imposed by Donald Trump, considering it a "safe third country" with which asylum seekers will have to make their first steps.
For many NGOs, Guatemala cannot receive migrants en route to the United States when it cannot even provide for its own population.
A country whose population is fleeing is asked to welcome migration flows or in any case to welcome them temporarily while awaiting acceptance of their asylum in the United States. In economic matters, this is a totally impossible situation for the country which has no capacity to absorb these flows ...
Kevin Parthenay, professor of political science at the University of Tours and specialist in Central America 01/15/2020 - by Anne Verdaguer Listen
-They want to privatize everything, we will no longer find where to work. We sellers, no, we are not happy ...
-I do not expect much from President Giammattei, his policy will resemble that of his predecessors. I hope at least that he will not carry out violent actions against the people ...
-For the moment, we are waiting. Nothing is known about the type of government of this president ...
Testimonies of Guatemalans collected by Diana Fuentes, from the Latin American editorial staff of RFI 01/15/2020 - by RFI Listen