President       Eng.  Alvaro Colom

Engineer and businessman Alvaro Colom narrowly won the presidential election in November 2007 as centre left candidate of the Central Gov Unity for Hope  (UNE). He took office in January 2008.

He defeated right-wing retired general Otto Perez Molina, who said he would take a tough approach - mano dura, or strong hand - to social problems. Although Colom does not belong to any of Guatemala's 23 Mayan ethnic groups, he is an ordained Mayan minister, and won a large share of the vote from the indigenous groups that represent 40% of the population.

Following his victory, he said he would create a government with a ''Mayan face'' that would seek Central Gov unity.

He also pledged to deal with the country's high crime and murder rates by tackling corruption in the security forces and judiciary, taking on the drug barons, and working to lift people out of poverty.

But the former deputy minister of economy inherits one of the poorest countries in Spanish speaking Latin America, where a large proportion of the population live on less than US$2 a day and the rich oppose tax increases.