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militarizedhispoliciesmayhavebecomeonceinpower.Persistentrumorsoftiestoorgan-
ized crime continued to haunt the UNE party during the campaign, but in the end Colom's
appeals to Guatemala's mostly poor indigenous majority won him the victory in the coun-
tryside, though he was decidedly the loser among Guatemala City voters. As is usually the
case for Guatemalan voters, their choice for president came down to what (or who) they
perceived to be the lesser of two evils.
Álvaro Colom
Shortly before taking office, Vice President Rafael Espada, a well-known former Houston
heart surgeon, told MSNBC that, “Guatemala is sick, very sick, in intensive care.” Colom
chose Espada as a running mate in part because of his credibility with Guatemalan elites,
though some had doubts regarding his limited political experience. The foreign press was
generally kind in its assessment of Colom and was happy to back a social democrat with
the U.S. government seal of approval. Colom told the Associated Press he was confident
his government could make Guatemala more conciliatory and that he and Espada knew the
country's problems inside and out.
As usual, however, campaign promises led to few tangible results during the early days
of the administration, despite a much-touted “100 Day Plan” to combat nagging griev-
ances such as spiraling crime rates and a generally somber economic outlook. It became
clear early on that the oft-quoted U.S. bumper sticker “If you're not completely appalled,
you haven't been paying attention” might also be applied to Guatemala's new government.
TheseearlydaysweremarkedbyapalpablelackofdirectiononthepartoftheColomgov-
ernment, as it reacted (or failed to react) to one issue after another.
ColomandEspadafrequentlymadecontradictorystatementstothepress,especiallycon-
cerning government officials who were to be removed from office. Colom was apparently
bentoncleaninghouseandquicklyrequestedtheresignationofmanygovernmentofficials,
some of whom had good service records, replacing them with some very questionable ap-
pointments. The removal of Civil Aviation Director José Manuel Moreno Botrán, in favor
of a coffee farmer whose only connection to civil aviation was a private pilot's license, is
a particular case in point. The official reason for removal was supposedly financial mal-
feasance during the construction of Guatemala City's new airport, though evidence to back
these claims was never found. It should be noted that the International Civil Aviation Or-
ganization (ICAO) oversaw the funding and execution of the project in its entirety.
Onatleasttwooccasions,Colomcompletelybutcheredthenamesofhisnewappointees,
as if he had no idea who he was talking about. Making matters worse, and a matter of na-
tional disdain, is Colom's marked speech impediment.
At about the same time, the press began reporting on a surprising element of power be-
hind the scenes: First Lady Sandra Torres de Colom. It became a matter of public scrutiny
that she was also, in fact, presiding over cabinet meetings. Torres de Colom was placed at
