Comedian elected president of corruption-weary Guatemala

Jimmy Morales, a comedian who has never held elected office, won Guatemala's presidency on Sunday after voter fury over corruption scandals fuelled months of protests in Central America's biggest economy.

Mr Morales (46), who ran under the slogan “neither corrupt nor a thief”, won 67 per cent of the vote.

Former first lady Sandra Torres conceded the race after official results showed her with about 32 per cent of the vote.

The landslide win for the political novice came in a year that saw Guatemala’s president, vice-president and central bank chief jailed for involvement in separate corruption scandals.

When he takes office on January 14th, Mr Morales will oversee a $59 billion economy which exports coffee, textiles and gold and serves as a gateway between Latin America and the US.

“We should take advantage of this moment to launch our true image, an image of what we really are, a country of honest, just and friendly people,” Mr Morales told supporters on Sunday night, vowing to have “zero tolerance” for corruption.

"We want change and not more of the same," said Henry Dieguez, a 44-year-old teacher, after voting in Guatemala City. "We want fresh faces and new ideas."

During the campaign, Mr Morales said he would seek to change Guatemala’s 1 per cent metal mining royalty, which he called “ridiculous” and “unjust.” Attempts to boost royalties in recent years have failed.

Guatemala has struggled to boost tax revenue that is already among the lowest in Latin America as a share of gross domestic product and is projected to fall further.– (Bloomberg)