Óscar Berger

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Óscar Berger
President of Guatemala
In office 14 January 2004 – 14 January 2008
Preceded by	Alfonso Portillo
Succeeded by	Álvaro Colom
Born	11 August 1946 (1946-08-11) (age 63) Guatemala City
Political party	GANA
Spouse(s)	Wendy Widmann

Óscar José Rafael Berger Perdomo, born on 11 August 1946 in Guatemala City, is a former President of Guatemala.

Berger is of Belgian descent. His family was a part of the upper class with large sugar and coffee holdings. He graduated in law from the private, Jesuit Rafael Landívar University. In 1967 he married Wendy Widmann, also from a land owning Guatemalan family. From the mid seventies he ran a successful skittles parlor. In 1985 he joined Álvaro Arzú's successful campaign to become mayor of Guatemala City. From January 1991 to June 1999, he was mayor himself.

In the general election held on 9 November 2003, Berger was candidate for the conservative Grand National Alliance after being persuaded out of a retirement spent farming to return to politics. He obtained 34% of the votes, putting him well ahead of Álvaro Colom of the National Union of Hope (26%) and former president Efraín Ríos Montt of the Guatemalan Republican Front (19%).

A run-off vote between Berger and Colom took place on 28 December 2003, which Berger won with a 54% share of the vote. He was sworn in on 14 January 2004 and left office 14 January 2008.

[edit] See also

• Politics of Guatemala
• List of political parties in Guatemala.

[edit] External links

• Alertnet coverage
• BBC coverage

v • d • e Heads of state of Guatemala Federal Republic of Central America (1823–1839); Supreme Chiefs of State direct central rule, 1823–24 • Díaz* • Barrundia • direct central rule, 1826–27 • J. Estrada* • de Aycinena • Zenteno* • Barrundia • Molina • Márquez* • Gálvez • Valenzuela* • Rivera* • Salazar* • Rivera* Republic of Guatemala (since 1839); Presidents Rivera • López Requena* • Rivera • Carrera • Martínez* • Escobar* • Paredes* • Carrera • Aycinena* • Cerna • García Granados • Barrios • Sinibaldi* • Barillas • Reina • M. Estrada† • Herrera • Orellana • Chacón • Reina* • Ubico† • Ponce Vaides* † • Junta (Arana†, Árbenz†, Toriello) • Arévalo • Árbenz • Díaz* • Monzón† • Castillo† • González López* • Mendoza† • Flores* • Ydígoras† • Peralta† • Méndez • Arana† • Laugerud† • Lucas† • Ríos Montt† • Mejía Victores† • Cerezo • Serrano Elías • Espina* • de León • Arzú • Portillo • Berger • Colom *interim     †military

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