Former Comedian Jimmy Morales Inaugurated as President of Guatemala
Jimmy Morales, a comedian turned politician, was inaugurated president of Guatemala on Jan. 14.
Morales, a conservative, has yet to announce who will make up his cabinet, the Associated Press reports.
Edgar Gutierrez, a political analyst from San Carlos University in Guatemala, has drawn attention to how unprepared the former celebrity seems to be for office. "He is a president who takes office without a party, without well-qualified people he trusts and with a state apparatus that's really in financial and institutional ruin," said Gutierrez.
As previously reported, Morales won the run-off election against ex-first lady Sandra Torres last October.
Following a year of scandal, which saw former Guatemalan President Otto Perez arrested, voters were anxious for a change. Torres, who ran government social programs while her ex-husband Alvaro Colom was president, was perhaps hampered by being too closely associated with Guatemala's corrupt political past.
Morales portrayed himself to voters as the common candidate and attributed his success to the people's desire for an end to political corruption. "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," said the 46-year-old Morales.
Heinz Heimann, a spokesman for the new Guatemalan leader, has promised that the incoming cabinet will be made up of the right people for the nation's needs. "There is nothing suspicious about our actions," said Heimann. "The government reserves the right to give information in a pertinent manner to keep the people informed."
Hugo Novales, a political analyst at the Guatemalan think-tank Asies, attributes Morales success to his connection the voters. "Morales has an outstanding ability to empathize with voters' concerns and aspirations," Novales said, according to the Independent.
As the BBC reports, Morales’ comedy has been criticized for being racially offensive, sexist and homophobic.