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Maldonado Sworn in as Guatemala President as Scandal Widens

  • Otto Perez Molina resigned in wake of bribery accusations
  • Maldonado will oversee presidential elections on Sept. 6
Alejandro Maldonado, new president of Guatemala, is sworn in on Thursday.

Alejandro Maldonado, new president of Guatemala, is sworn in on Thursday.

Photographer: Saul Martinez/Bloomberg
Updated on

Alejandro Maldonado, a 79-year-old former congressman and head of Guatemala’s constitutional court, was sworn in as president on Thursday after a bribery scandal prompted Otto Perez Molina to resign.

Maldonado, who ran for president in 1982 and became vice president in May after his predecessor Roxana Baldetti quit, will finish out a presidential term set to end Jan. 14. Along with helping restore political stability to Central America’s largest economy, Maldonado will oversee elections scheduled for Sept. 6.