Guatemala’s new President to face migration issues
WASHINGTON, United States — The United States on Monday congratulated Alejandro Giammattei on winning Guatemala’s presidential election and pledged to work with him on halting migration from the Central American country. Giammattei, a conservative, defeated former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off Sunday, garnering more than 58 percent of the vote.
“The United States shares a deep, historic relationship with Guatemala and looks forward to continuing our close partnership on a number of areas of mutual national interest, including addressing the underlying conditions driving irregular migration,” US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a statement.
Giammattei will take over in January from corruption-tainted President Jimmy Morales, who congratulated his successor af ter the vote and promised a “transparent and orderly” transition.
He will be under immense pressure from the US to implement a controversial migration pact that would allow Washington to send most Honduran and Salvadoran asylum seekers who passed through Guatemala back to the poor, crime-ridden country.
Giammattei has avoided taking a strong position on the US deal, which has been the subject of criticism in Guatemala.
A poll commissioned by the Prensa Libre newspaper found that 82 percent of those surveyed opposed it.