Colom Starts Guatemala
Change Today
The change for which we
have been waiting 50
years starts in
Guatemala today, said
President-Elect Alvaro
Colom, from the National
Unity of Hope, in his
first speech.
The social democratic
aspirant won the Sunday
runoff with 52.78
percent of votes, while
his rival retired
general Otto Perez
Molina got 47.22
percent.
In front of thousands of
followers at the
headquarters of his
party, Colom said that
Guatemala deserves a
different fate and needs
to transform structures
to achieve equality,
equity and social
justice.
"Monsignor Gerardi used
to say: sow truth and
justice and achieve
conciliation," recalled
the president-elect when
referring to the friar
murdered in 1998 after
the publication of a
report on violations of
human rights committed
during the war.
Colom promised to start
working immediately to
achieve those changes
the country needs and to
do that he has proposed
a program based on four
points: governability,
solidarity,
regionalization and
productivity.
Among his aims are a 100
day plan to respond the
people's most urgent
needs, and boosting some
laws in the Republic's
Congress in economy,
security, health,
environment and rural
development.
Also on the list is to
recover the so-called
"red zones" of violence,
purge corrupt police and
beginning actions to
eliminate drug and
weapon shipments and
people trade.
As for his foreign
policy, Colom told
Prensa Latina that he
will expand relations
with all blocs, mainly
with Central America,
Mexico and Panama , his
closest markets. |
|
