Social Democrat Bernardo Arévalo has been sworn in as the new president of Guatemala

The Social Democrat Bernardo Arévalo, elected in August 2023 on the promise to fight corruption, was sworn in on the night of Sunday 14 to Monday 15 January as the new president of Guatemala, after months of uncertainty and tensions until the last minute.

The new president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, on January 14 in Guatemala City: "I am not my father, but I walk the path he has traced and we will follow him together." AFP - JOHAN ORDONEZ

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The handover of power has been delayed: more than a dozen hours, writes our regional correspondent, Gwendolina Duval! The Chilean president and other delegations who had come for the ceremony had to leave before the end of the ceremony. This chaos in the constitutional process comes from conflicts within Congress. The outgoing opposition did everything it could to prevent the new MPs from being sworn in and then tried to slow down the presidential handover.

Putting an end to corruption

In his very first speech, delivered in the middle of the night, Arévalo promised to put an end to the rule of the corrupt elite who had done everything possible to prevent him from taking office until the last minute: "For thousands of people, these months have raised fears of a return of dictatorship in Guatemala. But the people have demonstrated their wisdom and fundamental institutions such as the electoral tribunal and the Constitutional Court have protected the sovereign desire of Guatemalans to live in a democracy.

For hours, his inauguration was delayed by the difficult formation of the new Congress, in a very tense atmosphere. On social networks, the new deputies of the presidential camp denounced the abuses of the opponents: "They do not respect the will of the people!" she proclaimed. Since his spectacular breakthrough in June, Bernardo Arévalo and his Semilila party have been the target of an intense judicial offensive led, according to him, by the public prosecutor's office mandated by the "corrupt" political elite to prevent him from coming to power. The prosecutor's office, led by Attorney General Consuelo Porras, has called for the lifting of his immunity as a deputy, sought to dismantle his political party, accused the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) of anomalies and deemed the elections "null and void". The judge is on Washington's list of "corrupt" figures.

Social Program

President for four years, Bernardo Arévalo announced a social program: "We can build more inclusive and effective policies for the entire population." In the streets of the Guatemalan capital, thousands of people came to support the new president. Since his surprise victory, the 65-year-old former diplomat and sociologist has faced many obstacles in the country, which is ranked 150th out of 180 in the ranking of the anti-corruption association Transparency International.

The new Guatemalan president was born on 7 October 1958 in Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital, during the exile of his father, who had to leave the country after a military junta came to power. A U.S.-led coup overthrew his constitutional successor, Jacobo Arbenz. His family's exile led him to France and Mexico. He lived abroad until the age of 15, when he was able to return to Guatemala. He studied sociology in Israel and philosophy in the Netherlands, before embarking on a diplomatic career in the 1980s. He was Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1994-1995 and then Ambassador to Spain until 1996.

(With AFP)

Read alsoGuatemala: a tense inauguration for Bernardo Arévalo in the face of the challenge of the fight against corruption

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• Guatemala
• Bernardo Arévalo
• Diplomacy
• Society