The social democrat Bernardo Arévalo, elected in August on the promise of fighting corruption, was inaugurated on the night of Sunday to Monday as the new president of Guatemala, after months of uncertainty and tensions until the last minute. The ceremony was held more than nine hours late due to lengthy debates in Parliament before the inauguration, which was attended by Latin American leaders, representatives of the European Union and the United States.
Significant tensions…
Left hand on the Constitution and right arm raised, Bernardo Arévalo, 65, swore to serve Guatemala to the cheers of the audience, at the National Theater in Guatemala. The deputies allied with outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei first obtained that the 23 deputies of Bernardo Arévalo’s Semilla party be registered as independents, the prosecution having temporarily suspended Semilla for alleged fraud during its creation in 2017. “They are trying to violate democracy with trifles and abuse of power”, denounced Bernardo Arévalo on the social network X, fearing to see his inauguration postponed.
“The deputies have the responsibility to respect the will of the people expressed in the ballot boxes. The Guatemalan people and the international community are watching us,” he added.
Outside Parliament, hundreds of supporters of Bernardo Arévalo forced roadblocks to approach the building, but without clashes with the police, AFP noted. A joint statement from the delegations of the countries present at the inauguration even called on “Parliament to comply with its constitutional mandate to hand over power as required by the Constitution”. “The Guatemalan people expressed their democratic will in fair, free and transparent elections, approved by the international community through its electoral observation missions. This will must be respected,” indicates the text signed by the EU, l Organization of American States (OAS) and several Latin American governments.
…and many obstacles
In the game of alliances, the new Assembly elected a member from Semilla, Samuel Pérez, 31, new president of the unicameral Parliament. A resounding victory for the Arévalo camp. Since his surprise victory, the 65-year-old former diplomat and sociologist has faced numerous obstacles in the country which ranks 150th out of 180 in the ranking of the anti-corruption association Transparency International.
The prosecution has increased legal recourse (cancellation of elections, suspension of his political party, lifting of his elected immunity) roundly denounced by the United States, the EU, the UN and/or the OAS. Bernardo Arévalo has constantly denounced a “slow coup d’état” to thwart the results of the polls.