Economics
Ex-Prison Boss Wins Guatemala Election With U.S. Ties in Flux
- Giammattei gets 59% in runoff vote; will take power Jan. 14
- Central Bank president recommends tax reform to boost revenues
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A former director of prisons won Guatemala’s presidential election on Sunday, pledging to crack down on crime and boost growth to stem a flow of migrants fleeing to the U.S.
Alejandro Giammattei beat former first lady Sandra Torres with 59% of the vote to 41% with 97% of votes counted. Torres’ party conceded defeat late on Sunday in Guatemala City. Roughly 3.4 million of 8.1 million registered voters turned out to vote, or 42% of turnout, well below normal levels, according to electoral authority president Julio Solorzano.