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President:
Oscar
Berger
The wealthy farmer Oscar Berger, who won the 2003 presidential
election, was the candidate backed by Guatemala's traditional
power brokers - the agricultural and banking elite.
A former mayor of Guatemala City, he previously ran
for the presidency in 1999, but was roundly defeated
then by Alfonso Portillo.
After being trounced in the 1999 poll, Mr. Berger retired
to his farm and vowed to leave politics for good, but
was coaxed back into public life by some of the country's
richest and most powerful interests.
He has stated that his priorities are to fight crime,
corruption and poverty, and to implement the peace accord
that ended Guatemala's vicious 36-year civil war in
1996.
Mr. Berger will have to decide what to do about the
country's former military ruler, General Efrain Rios
Montt, who faces genocide charges for overseeing a scorched-earth
campaign designed to weed out those suspected of aiding
rebel forces.
General Montt lost his immunity from prosecution when
he gave up his seat as a member of Guatemala's Congress
early in 2004. During his election campaign Mr Berger
refused to commit himself on whether he thought the
former dictator should stand trial. |
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Population:
14,280,596 (July 2004 est.)
Government Type: Constitutional Democratic
Republic
Capital: Guatemala City
Major Languages: Spanish 60%, Amerindian languages
40% (23 officially recognized Amerindian languages,
including Quiche, Cakchiquel, Kekchi, Mam, Garifuna,
and Xinca)
Ethnic Groups: Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish
or assimilated Amerindian - in local Spanish called
Ladino), approximately 55%, Amerindian or predominantly
Amerindian, approximately 43%, whites and others 2%
Major Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant,
indigenous Mayan beliefs
Literacy Rate: Definition: age 15 and over
can read and write
total population: 70.6%
male: 78%
female: 63.3% (2003 est.)
Life Expectancy: total population: 65.19 years
male: 64.3 years
female: 66.13 years (2004 est.)
Monetary Unit: 1 quetzal = 100 centavos
Economy Overview: Guatemala is the largest
and most populous of the Central American countries
with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Brazil,
Argentina, and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts
for about one-fourth of GDP, two-thirds of exports,
and half of the labor force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas
are the main products. The 1996 signing of peace accords,
which ended 36 years of civil war, removed a major obstacle
to foreign investment, but widespread political violence
and corruption scandals continue to dampen investor
confidence. The distribution of income remains highly
unequal, with perhaps 75% of the population below the
poverty line. Ongoing challenges include increasing
government revenues, negotiating further assistance
from international donors, upgrading both government
and private financial operations, curtailing drug trafficking,
and narrowing the trade deficit.
Average Annual Income: US $1,910 (World Bank,
2003)
Population below poverty line: 75% (2002 est.)
Major Exports: coffee, sugar, bananas, fruits
and vegetables, cardamom, meat, apparel, petroleum,
electricity US
Export Partners: US 56.7%, El Salvador 10.8%,
Nicaragua 3.6% (2003)
*All information has been taken from the BBC NEWS World
Americas Country profiles (as of Nov. 2003) and CIA
World Fact Book (as of Jan. 2004) unless otherwise noted. |
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