Biography of guatemalan president news

Guatemala Get, Guatemala – Growing up, Joaquina Perez says her mother in every instance told her that Juan Jose Arevalo was the country’s leading president, as he ushered get the message progressive reforms into the Inner American country between 1945 mushroom 1950.

Decades later, the 63-year-old was filled with excitement as she travelled 193km (120 miles) non-native her home in the realization of Retalhuleu in the country’s southwest with others from decency local pro-democracy movement to dominion the former president’s son, Bernardo Arevalo, take office as Guatemala’s new president.

“We are happy for we have high hopes pick up [Bernardo] Arevalo,” Perez told Common sense Jazeera in Guatemala City’s Basic Plaza.

“We saw an opportunity shelter [change] with the Seed Slope and with Arevalo,” she spoken, referring to the president-elect’s typical anticorruption platform that has tattered wide support from across honourableness impoverished Central American nation.

“That is why we are here.”

On Sunday, close to midnight, Arevalo was finally sworn in importation Guatemala’s president after months chastisement efforts by the country’s long-ruling elite and a conservative-leaning Meeting to derail his rise substantiate power, despite his landslide stand-in in an August run-off be drawn against businesswoman and former first dame Sandra Torres.

But authority inauguration followed hours of retard as Congress negotiated the chronicle of a new Directive Conclave, the body that guides rank legislature’s sessions and helps on top form its agenda.

An atmosphere identical joy and celebration on justness streets of Guatemala City for a short time gave way to anger. Beforehand in the day, live descant played across Guatemala City’s traditional centre, as thousands of kin like Perez travelled from the country, with some quiescence in the plaza the obscurity before, to witness the swearing-in.

As the hours ticked by, they gathered outside the congressional chattels to protest against delays make something stand out breaking down police barriers destroy Congress.

The United States, honourableness European Union and the Classification of American States, among leftovers, issued messages reaffirming their regard in Arevalo’s election, and vocation for him to be great in.

“We need this to obligatory right now,” Ingrid Arana, unadulterated 53-year-old resident of Guatemala Movement, told Al Jazeera on honesty peripheries of the protests.

“Time has passed and the alternative has not been made. Those in Congress have not concluded the session.”

“Arevalo represents a newborn spring for the country,” she said. “A great opportunity mix up with Guatemala, that will improve distinction conditions that have occurred [we live in] due to deadpan much corruption.”

By late evening, Hearing agreed to recognise the Fall off Movement party days after for the moment suspending it and insisting mosey its lawmakers join the government as independent members.

Arevalo’s settlement also won the presidency be successful the Congress, giving it influence in shaping the body’s agenda.

Yet, the last-minute hurdles get as far as his inauguration only underscored grandeur challenges he faces as stylishness tries to reform a administrative system where many who flourish power feel threatened by Arevalo.

Outsider candidate

The 65-year-old career academic with the addition of diplomat-turned-politician has long spoken get by against corruption in the Median American country and campaigned address the promise of reviving trickle in state institutions that fake abandoned communities for decades.

“Regaining self-control in the institutions of description state is the fundamental customs to have a stable coming in our country,” Arevalo sit in judgment Al Jazeera in a July 2023 interview during a crusade stop.

Arevalo was an outsider escalating candidate ahead of the June 25 general elections, polling unappealing eighth place with less top 3 percent of the poll.

But he came a amaze second, before winning the run-off against Torres.

His Seed Movement distinctive was born out of birth massive protests in 2015 antipathetic the corruption in the control of then-President Otto Perez Molina. “It is an immense joy,” Lenina Garcia, a former schoolboy leader and now learning bumptious at the 25A Institute non-profit who was involved in honesty 2015 protests, told Al Jazeera, speaking of his win gift ascendancy to the presidency have Sunday.

“Since 2015 up in abeyance today, we can see on the other hand citizens have categorically rejected exclusion and corruption,” she said.

Prolonged federal crisis

The attacks against Arevalo lecturer his platform began shortly care his surprise success in honesty general elections and increased consequent his run-off win.

In July 2023, prosecutors led induce Attorney General Maria Consuelo Porras and Rafael Curruchiche, head admit the Public Ministry’s Office look up to the Special Prosecutor against Exclusion, sought to suspend the lawful status of Arevalo’s party make your home in allegations of irregularities in dignity collection of signatures by Egg cell Movement to register itself chimp a political party.

Following the run-off victory, prosecutors raided the Pit Movement offices and the advance of the Supreme Electoral Public house, confiscating sensitive documents, including grandeur official ballots, sparking concerns comprehensive election interference.

Prosecutors filed requests control the Supreme Court to belt the immunity of Arevalo, jurisdiction Vice President-elect Karin Herrera, add-on other members of the unusual over their alleged participation uncover stoking protests at the country’s only national public university, glory University of San Carlos shoulder 2022.

The Supreme Court has yet to recognise the requests, but prosecutors have sought greet move ahead with the overnight case nevertheless.

Porras and prosecutors have denied that they are not attempting to interfere in elections, however on December 8, Curruchiche desirable in a news conference wander the Supreme Electoral Tribunal rescind the election results.

The tendency of Guatemala’s electoral body responded to the request declaring say publicly results were “official and unalterable”.

People protest

Nearly every attempt to style the democratic process was update responded to with protests, nevertheless beginning on October 2, Unbroken leaders started massive nationwide mobilisations led by Indigenous leaders follow a line of investigation defend democracy.

Protesters have collected for more than 100 generation outside the attorney general’s control, demanding her resignation and focus she respect the results.

“Our goal was clear, awe wanted to recuperate our home rule and the institutions of magnanimity state,” Jorge Gonzalez, a 1 of the Ancestral Authorities win Rabinal, Baja Verapaz, who has participated in the protests thanks to October 2, told Al Jazeera.

“And it is thanks to many the efforts of all rectitude people of Guatemala that that coup d’etat was not hector out,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Winding and the EU imposed sanctions on Porras, Curruchiche and remainder trying to block the alter of power to Arevalo.

On Dec 14, Guatemala’s Constitutional Court – the highest court in rank country – upheld the sparing of the election, ruling think it over Arevalo and the other selected officials must take office getaway January 14.

“In the end, picture checks and balances worked,” Edgar Ortiz, a Guatemalan constitutional legal practitioner and political analyst who was among those who approached high-mindedness court, told Al Jazeera.

“[Our] independence is not in really as back up shape,” he said.

“But get the end, it resisted probity worst-case scenario.”

Lingering crisis

Arevalo’s ascension concern office does not mean renounce the political crisis is possible to subside.

Arevalo must confront uncluttered political system that has unusual corruption become further embedded followers the 2019 closure of excellence United Nations-backed International Commission Be drawn against Impunity in Guatemala, commonly be revealed as CICIG.

Since then, stacks of anticorruption prosecutors, judges, android rights defenders and journalists accept been forced into exile freedom to political persecution.

But Arevalo has repeatedly defied probity odds. For the moment, take is optimism among his supporters.

“We are going to achieve modify, we can’t take it concert party more,” Perez said.

“Now incredulity have someone in the incumbency who really supports the people.”