Shock-Waves In Guatemala's Presidential Election

Washington Post: The ‘Donald Trump of Guatemala’ was just elected president

A pop culture icon just beat a former first lady to become president.

This is not a flash-forward to November 2016. It's what happened in Guatemala's presidential election over the weekend.

Jimmy Morales is a 46-year-old former comedian and, as of Sunday evening, Guatemala's president-elect. He has never held political office, and yet he got 67.4 percent of the vote in a runoff with former first lady Sandra Torres, whose ex-husband, Alvaro Colom, was president of the country from 2008 to 2012. Torres, a card-carrying member of Guatemala's political establishment, got just 32.6 percent of the vote.

Guatemalans lifted Morales to the land's highest office despite — or perhaps because of — his political inexperience and unorthodox ideas, including a proposal to make teachers wear GPS devices to ensure they do their job and an idea to give each child a smartphone, the BBC reported.

More News On Guatemala's Presidential Election

Guatemala election: Jimmy Morales elected president -- BBC
Jimmy Morales: from comedian to Guatemalan president -- AFP
Comedian wins presidency in Guatemala in landslide victory -- FOX News Latino
Former comedian Morales wins Guatemala presidential election -- UPI
Comedian Taps Fury Over Corruption, Wins Guatemala Vote -- Bloomberg
TV Personality With No Experience Beats Former First Lady to Become President … of Guatemala -- Slate
A comedian who has never held office won the Guatemalan presidency in a landslide -- Quartz