No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsGlobalUS VP Biden to attend swearing-in of new Guatemala leader

US VP Biden to attend swearing-in of new Guatemala leader

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala — U.S. Vice President Joe Biden is to visit Guatemala on January 14 to attend the swearing-in ceremony of that country’s new leader, comedian-turned-president Jimmy Morales, the U.S. embassy said Thursday.

Morales, 46, triumphed in October elections to succeed Otto Pérez Molina, who had to stand down as president the month before when he became engulfed in a corruption scandal that sparked street protests.

Leaders of several Central American countries, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and Spain have also been invited to attend the ceremony at which Morales will formally take office.

The former comic won fame on television for playing a country bumpkin who nearly becomes president, but has no previous real-life experience of elected office.

He fronts the conservative FCN-Nacion party, a group founded by former military officers including some accused of committing atrocities during Guatemala’s 1966-1996 civil war. The party holds only 11 seats in the 158-seat Congress.

Political analysts and Morales himself attributed his win to public disgust with established politicians, whose reputation for graft deepened after an April report by a U.N.-backed anti-corruption commission that led to Pérez Molina’s downfall.

The United States has allocated $750 million in aid for three Central American countries savaged by gang violence, poverty and corruption: Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador.

The money aims, in part, to stem a flood of migrants from those countries seeking to get to the relative safety and prosperity of the United States.

Read more Guatemala coverage from The Tico Times

Trending Now

Costa Rican Health Officials Sound Alarm Over Teen Vaping Epidemic

Vaping has become increasingly popular, especially among teenagers and young adults. However, the health consequences associated with its use are raising alarm among Costa...

Costa Rica’s Defense Frustrates Mexico in Hard-Fought Gold Cup Stalemate

La Sele faced off against Mexico in a tense, scoreless draw at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas during the final matchday of Group A...

Celso Gamboa Allegedly Ran Drug Ring with Costa Rican Government Ties

Celso Gamboa, once Costa Rica’s Security Minister and a Supreme Court judge, now faces extradition to the U.S. for leading a major cocaine trafficking...

Internet Cut in Panama Near Costa Rica Border Amid Bocas del Toro Unrest

Panamanian authorities suspended internet and mobile phone services on Saturday in the Caribbean province of Bocas del Toro, following President José Raúl Mulino’s declaration...

Costa Rica and U.S. Strengthen Border Scans and Biometric Cooperation

U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem met Wednesday with Honduran President Xiomara Castro to discuss security and migration, following her offer in Costa...

Costa Rica’s San Lucas Island Sees Kilos of Trash Removed in Cleanup

Twenty-five volunteers hauled 381 kilos of trash—mostly plastic bottles and tires—off Cocos Beach on Costa Rica’s San Lucas Island. The cleanup, set in the...
spot_img
Costa Rica Tours
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica