Popular Comedian Wins Guatemalan Presidential Elections in Landslide Victory

Posted by Odinaka on Mon 26th Oct, 2015 - tori.ng

A former TV comedian with no experience in government has won the run-off vote in Guatemala's presidential election.

Comic actor Jimmy Morales, casting his vote at a polling station in Mixco on Sunday

A former TV comedian, Jimmy Morales, who has never held office, has won Guatemala's presidential election on Sunday after milking public anger over a corruption scandal that deepened distrust of the country's political establishment.

The 46-year-old overwhelmingly beat center-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.

He got more than double the votes as he campaigned on a promise to fight graft following the resignation and arrest on corruption charges of President Otto Perez Molina last month.

The headquarters of Morales' center-right National Convergence Front (FCN) party erupted in celebration as official returns showed he had around 68% support in a landslide victory.

Morales described his victory as a "brave vote, a vote full of hope, a vote which wants to put an end to corruption".

He also described himself as "a common man", adding, "I don't have super powers nor magic and I've never said I do, but my heart swells with love for this nation and together we're going to fight for her."

"As president I received a mandate, and the mandate of the people of Guatemala is to fight against the corruption that is consuming us," Morales said on Sunday night.

Morales was already a household name following a 14-year stint on a popular TV comedy and the self-proclaimed centrist from a humble background wooed voters with promises to tackle corruption and hand out millions of smartphones to children.

"We were tired of the same faces of people who get rich off our money. He knows that if he does something corrupt, all of Guatemala will be demanding that he resign," said Eduardo Tablas, a maintenance man who voted for Morales.