Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Jimmy Morales describes himself as a "common man" 
 
 A former TV comedian with no experience in government has won the run-off vote in Guatemala's presidential election. 
 
 Jimmy Morales got more than double the votes of ex-first lady Sandra Torres, who is seen by many as part of the country's unpopular political elite. 
 
 Mr Morales campaigned on a promise to fight graft following the resignation and arrest on corruption charges of President Otto Perez Molina last month. 
 
 Ms Torres admitted defeat once the margin of Mr Morales' win was clear. 
 
 Mr Morales received 67.4% of the vote and Ms Torres 32.6%. 
 
 'Common man' 
 
 Mr Morales, 46, described his victory as a "brave vote, a vote full of hope, a vote which wants to put an end to corruption". 
 
 Image copyright AFP Image caption Jimmy Morales appealed to voters fed up with Guatemala's political elite 
 
 He also described himself as "a common man", adding: "I don't have super powers nor magic and I've never said I do, but my heart swells with love for this nation and together we're going to fight for her." 
 
 Mr Morales is a well-known comedian, who for 14 years starred in a popular TV comedy alongside his brother, Sammy Morales. 
 
 In the sketches, which are often lewd and coarse, he played everything from a hapless soldier to a country bumpkin. 
 
 For one character, he donned blackface and wore a prosthetic behind, triggering accusations of racism. 
 
 Women's and gay rights groups have also accused him of sexism and homophobia. 
 
 As his campaign manifesto was only six pages long, little is known about Mr Morales' policies, apart from favouring low taxes and limited government. 
 
 He has been criticised for some of his more far-fetched policies which include the tagging of teachers with a GPS device to ensure they attend classes and giving each Guatemalan child a smartphone. 
 
 Fresh start 
 
 Many voters said they were drawn to Mr Morales because he represented a fresh start and promised to fight against graft. 
 
 Image copyright AP Image caption Otto Perez Molina stepped down last month amid corruption allegations 
 
 The campaign was conducted against the backdrop of a widening corruption scandal which led to the resignations of the vice-president and the president. 
 
 Both deny involvement in a scheme which saw business people pay bribes to evade customs charges. 
 
 Ms Torres, who ran government social programmes when her ex-husband Alvaro Colom was president between 2008 and 2012, failed to inspire the confidence of voters, who saw her as too closely linked to Guatemala's old political elite. 
 
 "We were tired of the same faces of people who get rich off our money," a supporter of Mr Morales told Reuters news agency. 
 
 Image copyright AP Image caption Sandra Torres was in charge of the government's social programmes when her then-husband was president 
 
 Mr Morales now faces a difficult task as his National Convergence Front (FCN) will have just 11 out of 158 seats in the next Congress. 
 
 The two candidates 
 
 Image copyright AP Image caption Jimmy Morales got more than double the votes cast for Ms Torres 
 
 Jimmy Morales: 
 
 An evangelical Protestant who is against abortion, same-sex marriage and legalised drugs 
 
 Argues that his lack of experience is a virtue because he can make a completely fresh start when he comes into government 
 
 His National Convergence Front party has deep ties to the military, which played a brutal role in Guatemala's 1960-1996 civil war 
 
 Grew up in a poor family and has a degree in business administration 
 
 Appeared in a comedy sketch show with his brother Sammy for 14 years 
 
 Sandra Torres: ||||| Supporters hold a poster of Guatemalan presidential candidate Jimmy Morales during a political rally in downtown Guatemala City, in this October 22, 2015 file photo. 
 
 Sandra Torres, presidential candidate for the National Unity of Hope (UNE) shows her ink-stained index finger after casting her vote at a polling station in Guatemala City, October 25, 2015. 
 
 A woman waits to receive ballot papers to cast her vote at a polling station in Santa Cruz Chinautla, Guatemala, October 25, 2015. 
 
 Jimmy Morales (C), presidential candidate for the National Convergence Front party (FCN), talks to the media while surrounded by bodyguards after casting his vote at a polling station in Guatemala City, October 25, 2015. 
 
 Jimmy Morales (C), presidential candidate for the National Convergence Front party (FCN), gestures while addressing the media next to his wife Gilda Marroquin (R) after casting his vote at a polling station in Guatemala City, October 25, 2015. 
 
 Jimmy Morales (C), presidential candidate for the National Convergence Front party (FCN), gestures while arriving with his wife Gilda Marroquin (L) at a polling station in Guatemala City, October 25, 2015. 
 
 Jimmy Morales, presidential candidate for the National Convergence Front party (FCN) shows his ink-stained finger after casting his vote at a polling station in Guatemala City, October 25, 2015. 
 
 GUATEMALA CITY Jimmy Morales, a former TV comedian who has never held office, swept to power in Guatemala's presidential election on Sunday after milking public anger over a corruption scandal that deepened distrust of the country's political establishment. 
 
 The 46-year-old Morales overwhelmingly beat center-left rival and former first lady Sandra Torres in a run-off vote despite his lack of government experience and some policy ideas that strike many as eccentric. 
 
 The headquarters of Morales' center-right National Convergence Front (FCN) party erupted in celebration as official returns showed he had around 68 percent support in a landslide victory. 
 
 Voters pointed to widespread discontent with Guatemala's political class, compounded by a U.N.-backed investigation into a multi-million dollar customs racket that led last month to the resignation and arrest of former president Otto Perez. 
 
 "As president I received a mandate, and the mandate of the people of Guatemala is to fight against the corruption that is consuming us," Morales said on Sunday night. 
 
 The U.S. government has strongly supported the U.N.-backed investigators and their success has helped push against corruption in Central America, where economic hardship and gang violence spurred an exodus of migrants to the United States. 
 
 However, the anti-graft fervor has also led to the election of an unknown quantity in Guatemala. It is unclear how Morales will tackle gang violence or try to stem the flow of U.S.-bound migrants. 
 
 Morales was already a household name following a 14-year stint on a popular TV comedy and the self-proclaimed centrist from a humble background wooed voters with promises to tackle corruption and hand out millions of smartphones to children. 
 
 "We were tired of the same faces of people who get rich off our money," said Eduardo Tablas, a maintenance man who voted for Morales. "He knows that if he does something corrupt, all of Guatemala will be demanding that he resign." 
 
 Last year, Morales quit his TV show, which centered on skits and lewd jokes, to run for the presidency. Back in April, he barely registered in opinion polls but he soon surged as both Perez's government and a candidate who was then leading the presidential race became mired in corruption probes. 
 
 VOTER FRUSTRATION 
 
 Morales further targeted voter frustration with Guatemala's failing institutions by pledging to tag teachers with GPS devices to ensure they attend class. 
 
 He has also floated the idea of reviving a historic land dispute with neighboring Belize. 
 
 Such plans exposed Morales to ridicule from critics, and he also had to downplay ties between his FCN and the army, which was blamed for atrocities in Guatemala's 1960-1996 civil war. 
 
 Morales' rival Torres warned voters that the country needed experience, not a maverick. "Guatemala is not a comedy," she said during the campaign. 
 
 The election is a wake-up call to the impoverished Central American country's established parties, which have been shaken by investigations led by the Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), the U.N.-backed anti-corruption body. 
 
 The CICIG's probe toppled Perez and has prompted calls for similar bodies elsewhere in Central America. 
 
 Morales, a former theology student with socially conservative leanings, has applauded CICIG's work and vowed to extend its remit. But now he will now face a test of just how honest he can make the government under the watch of the CICIG. 
 
 Morales said late on Sunday that he would not stand in the way of any probes of his own government. "Neither the president nor the vice president would be exempt," he said. 
 
 Still, he has given little detail on his plans to overcome entrenched corruption besides promising to put more money into justice, make government spending transparent and audit institutions. 
 
 Morales' manifesto was just six pages long, giving few clues as to how he might govern, and his FCN party will have just 11 out of 158 seats in the next Congress. 
 
 He will now face a test of just how honest he can make the government under the watch of the CICIG. 
 
 (With reporting by Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City and Dave Graham in Mexico City; Writing by Michael O'Boyle; Editing by Christian Plumb and Kieran Murray)
– Guatemalans are hoping the joker they just elected will be better than the crook they just got rid of. Jimmy Morales, a TV comedian with no political experience, has been elected president with a whopping 72% of the vote, defeating former first lady Sandra Torres, reports the BBC, which notes that one of Morales' most famous roles is that of a bumbling cowboy who accidentally becomes president. The 46-year-old told supporters Sunday night that he would make it a priority to wipe out the corruption that put his predecessor and his deputy in jail. His manifesto is a little light on details, Reuters reports, though some of his more eccentric proposals include giving smartphones to every child in the country.