Joker to President, Morales Has Scant Time to Fix Guatemala
- Corruption tops agenda after former president jailed for graft
- $59 billion economy is a gateway to U.S. for migrants, drugs
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Jimmy Morales, a comedian who has never held elected office, was sworn in as Guatemala’s president on Thursday and vowed to fight corruption and bring stability to a country that saw its president, vice president and central bank chief jailed in graft cases last year.
Morales recognized a "crisis with public finances" and "deficient transparency mechanisms" during his inaugural address Thursday night. He called on Guatemalans to "maintain unity" and pledged to be "drastic and severe" with corrupt officials.