Popular discontent has been simmering away in parts of Central America for some time, and now it’s finally boiling over. Lurid public corruption scandals that shook Guatemala and Honduras this summer have provoked massive protests. Days before the first round of Guatemala’s presidential elections was held on Sept. 6, President Otto Pérez Molina resigned from office after a judge issued a detention order against him.
But it’s not just Pérez Molina; Guatemala’s entire political establishment has taken a huge hit. With first-round results tallied, outsider candidate Jimmy Morales was in the lead—though he fell far short of the 50 percent needed to avoid a second round, which will now take place in late October.
Central America remains a key drug trafficking hub with gang violence still rife, and people's patience with the corruption that accompanies the disorder is at an all-time low.
