Berger was born in Guatemala City and is a lawyer by profession. From January 1991 to June 1999, he was mayor of Guatemala City.
In the general election held on 9 November, 2003, Berger, as candidate of the conservative Grand National Alliance, obtained about 34% of the votes, putting him well ahead of Álvaro Colom of the National Union of Hope (26%) and former president Efraín Ríos Montt of the Guatemalan Republican Front (19%).
A run-off vote between Berger and Colom took place on December 28, 2003, which Berger won with a 54% share of the vote. He was sworn in in January 14, 2004.
See also: Guatemala election, 2003, Politics of Guatemala, List of political parties in Guatemala.