Guatemala Swears in New President as Ex-leader Detained
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Guatemala's Congress swore in a new president Thursday as disgraced former leader Otto Perez was ordered detained to prevent him becoming a fugitive from justice in the Central American nation's long-running corruption saga.
Perez spent much of a tumultuous day at proceedings held at Guatemala's Supreme Court, answering a raft of corruption allegations, just hours after handing in his resignation.
His vice president Alejandro Maldonado -- a 79-year-old conservative who only assumed the office in May -- will serve out the rest of his former boss's term, handing over to a new president on January 14 after scheduled elections this weekend.
"The Guatemalan people have been at the center of great moments of change and upheaval in our institutions, mobilized by their disgust with broken systems," said Maldonado, a lawyer and former judge on the Constitutional Court, after taking the oath of office and assuming the blue and white presidential sash.
"The new government must emerge from the need to inspire citizens' confidence, opening a space in public service for mature and experienced people but also young professionals and social activists."
Congress earlier in the day had voted unanimously to accept Perez's resignation, which he submitted just before midnight Wednesday, after lawmakers stripped him of his presidential immunity, according to AFP.
Guatemala holds national elections on Sunday to choose a new president, along with other key federal posts.
Perez, a former military intelligence officer, had been in office since 2012. He was ineligible for re-election.
The elections come with the country roiled by demonstrations and amid a broad rejection of the traditional political elite in light of the scandal engulfing Perez and other leading politicians.