Right-Wing Candidate Alejandro Giammattei Wins Guatemala Presidency

By Democracy Now

Alejandro Giammattei of the Vamos Party wins the Guatemalan presidential election.

HAVANA TIMES – In Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei of the ultraconservative Vamos party won the presidency after a runoff vote Sunday, where he faced off against former first lady Sandra Torres. He got 58% of the vote, with just 42% of eligible voters casting ballots.

Giammattei, a former head of Guatemala’s prison system, ran on a law-and-order platform, promising to bring back the death penalty and deploy soldiers to the streets. He has been accused of money laundering, ties to drug traffickers, and extrajudicial killings.

Giammattei has said he wants to modify the controversial immigration deal signed last month between President Trump and outgoing President Jimmy Morales. The deal requires asylum seekers heading to the U.S. border to apply for asylum in Guatemala instead of at the U.S.-Mexico border, and would primarily affect Honduran and Salvadoran migrants.

Recent Posts

A Pair of Dolphins, Toulon, France – Photo of the Day

Xavier Anaise from France took our photo of the day: "A Pair of Dolphins", in…

Police Seize Computers & Cellphones from Humberto Ortega

The dictatorship imposes a "de facto house arrest" on the former Army chief, under which…

ICC Chief Seeks Arrest Warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas Leaders

Karim Khan: “We’ve applied for warrants. Of course, the judges must determine whether or not…

In order to improve navigation and features, Havana Times uses cookies.