GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – A comic actor rode a wave of outrage over corruption to win the most votes in Guatemala’s presidential election on Sunday and is seen as having a strong chance of winning a runoff next month.
Jimmy Morales, 46, who is new to politics and campaigned under the slogan “not corrupt, not a thief,” has promised a transparent government if he wins the presidency in a second round vote on October 25.
It remains unclear if he will face a former first lady or conservative businessman, who are still fighting for second-place finish in Sunday’s vote.
After the massive corruption scandal that forced former President Otto Perez to resign last week, analysts say Morales could hold a big advantage over either opponent in the runoff, however. As an outsider he is seen as unblemished by a discredited political system.
“I believe Morales will win in the second round, irrespective of who joins him,” said Gavin Strong, a Central America analyst at consultancy Control Risks.
As votes trickled in yesterday, Morales had 23.92 per cent support with 97.86 per cent of polling stations counted. That was far short of the 50 per cent needed for an outright victory, but he was still comfortably ahead of his rivals.
Sandra Torres, the ex-wife of former President Alvaro Colom, had 19.62 per cent of the votes, just ahead of conservative businessman Manuel Baldizon with 19.60 per cent.
Until recently, Baldizon had been been favoured to win.
Strong said he thought Morales would win next month because both Torres and Baldizon would likely back the comedian if either of them failed to progress.
Consultancy Eurasia Group also predicted a likely second-round win for Morales. “While the second round will be tight, Morales will probably win because most of the smaller parties are conservative and will support him,” the group said.
