Serrano Elias, Jorge (1945– )

Guatemalan politician, member of the Solidarity Action Movement (MAS), president 1991–93. He restored diplomatic relations with Belize, whose territory had formerly been claimed by Guatemala, and took a firm line against military dissidents. However, he failed in his declared goal of securing a peace settlement with the Guatemalan Revolutionary National Unity (URNG) guerrillas.

Serrano was elected president by a large margin in the January 1991 run-off round. In May 1993, with student and industrial unrest mounting, Serrano partially suspended the constitution and sought to rule by decree. However, the military secured his removal in June 1993 and replacement by Ramiro de Léon Carpio.

Partly educated abroad, at Stockholm University, Sweden, and Stanford University, USA, Serrano worked as an industrial engineer and property developer before becoming president of the council of state, under Efraín Ríos Montt, who was president 1982–83, and who shared his Protestant fundamentalist beliefs.