Óscar José Rafael Berger Perdomo

In the general election, which was on 9 November 2003, Óscar José Rafael Berger Perdomo was candidate for the conservative Grand National Alliance. He had been persuaded out of a retirement, that was supossed to be spent farming, to return to politics. He got 34% of the votes, putting him ahead of Álvaro Colom, who got 26% of the votes, and former president Efraín Ríos Montt, who got 19% of the votes.
A run-off vote between Berger and Colom happened on 28 December 2003, which Berger won with a 54% of the votes.

President Óscar José Rafael Berger Perdomo

President Óscar José Rafael Berger Perdomo was elected on the 14 January, 2004. He is part of the GANA party.

Vice President Eduardo Stein Barillas

Vice President Eduardo Stein Barillas was elected on the 14 of January, 2004.

Constitution

The President of Guatemala is both head of the state, and head of government. Controlling power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is held completly in both the government and the Congress of the Republic.
Guatemala's 1985 Constitution divides the power among the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government. The 1993 constitutional changes include a biggar number of Supreme Court justices from 9, to 13. The terms of office for president, vice president, and congressional deputies were cut down from five years to four years; for Supreme Court justices, the change from six years to five years, and made the terms for mayors and city councils longer, from 30 months to four years.

Under civilian rule

Guatemala has only been under civilian rule for ten years. In 1986, the first civilian president was elected. But, the military still has power over the large landowners, so they wield important power. Guatemala's president is the head of state and the head of government. You must be 18 to vote. The Congress of the Republic has 116 seats.

GANA

The Grand National Alliance (Gran Alianza Nacional, or GANA) is an elected group in Guatemala.
At the last legislative elections, which was on 9 November 2003, GANA won 24.3% of the vote, and 47 seats out of 158, in Congress. The presidential candidate of the group, Óscar Berger Perdomo, won 34.3% at the presidential elections on this same day. He won 54.1% at the second round, making him president.
The Constitutional Court is Guatemala's highest court. It has five judges that are elected for five-year terms by Congress. Each of them get to serve one year as president of the Court. One is elected by Congress, one elected by the Supreme Court of Justice, one is appointed by the President, one is elected by Superior Council of the Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala, and one by the bar association.
The Supreme Court of Justice includes thirteen members, who serve for five-year terms and elect a president of the Court each year.

22 administrative departments

Guatemala has 22 administrative departments. They are administrated by governors appointed by the president. Guatemala City and 332 other towns and cities are governed by mayors elected by popularty. The 22 Departments are Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Izabal, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Petén, El Progreso, Quetzaltenango, El Quiché, Retalhuleu, Sacatepéquez, San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Sololá, Suchitepequez, Totonicapán, and Zacapa.