Protests on the streets, corruption scandals at the highest level and the former president and his deputy awaiting trial in jail
Guatemala is a nation that has been rocked by a seemingly endless list of scandals. with the former leader pending trial. An almost comical presence of arbitrary rule and injustice perhaps has left comedian Jimmy Morales the perfect job as the country’s new president.
Mr. Morales is certainly not shy and is a widely recognized face in latin america. He starred in the weekly comedy programme Moralejas with his brother Sammy for more than 15 years.
The newly elected president cites The Great Dictator, Charlie Chaplin’s 1940 satirical film mocking Adolf Hitler, as his inspiration.
One episode of Moralejas that sticks in many people’s minds is when he performed in blackface, triggering accusations of racism.
Controversies aside, one thing is certain, he has far more experience in parody than politics.
The launch of Mr Morales’ presidential campaign could not have been better timed.He put himself forward for the top job just as demonstrators began to take to the streets in weekly mass anti-government protests in April.
The protests were a reaction to a report by a UN body accusing several high-profile Guatemalan politicians of links to a corruption ring involving the country’s customs agency.
The corruption allegations reached to the highest levels.
Both the president at the time, Otto Perez Molina, and Vice-President Roxana Baldetti, were among those accused and are now in jail awaiting trial. according to BBC.
Mr Morales’ campaign message of “Neither corrupt nor a thief” resonated with Guatemalans, the newly elected president says,
But in the view of some experts, Morales’ anti-corruption message is not broad enough. According to USA his campaign manifesto is just six pages long and reveals little about his ideas and plans.
Mr Morales says that he realised that he wanted to do something for his country as early as 1999, when he was studying in Spain.Living far from home, he says, made him realise how much he loved Guatemala and how much it pained him to see what was happening to it.
But he did not enter politics until 2008. So how does he defend himself against that criticism?