Businessman Álvaro Colom wins Guatemalan Presidency

November 5, 2007

Álvaro Colom Caballeros of the National Unity of Hope has assumed the title of President-Elect following the run off phase of the 2007 Guatemalan General Election, the second election since the end of the country's violent 36 year civil war. Colom, runner up in the previous election, won the Presidency with 52.23% of the second round vote after having come in first with 28.23% in the first round, defeating runner up former General Otto Perez Molina of the Patriotic Partywho claimed 23.51% in the first round and 47.24 in the second.

The election came on the heels of a sometimes violent campaign season; over 50 candidates and activists lost their lives in the time leading up to the elections, just a handful of the 5,000 to 6,000 murders estimated to take place in the country each year.

The country, listed last among Latin American nations on the UN human development index, faces issues of growing textile jobs, corruption, and a tax base inadequate to maintain basic social services.