Álvaro Arzú
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Álvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen (; 14 March 1946 – 27 April 2018) was a Guatemalan politician and businessman who served as the 44th
president of Guatemala The president of Guatemala (), officially titled President of the Republic of Guatemala (), is the head of state and head of government of Guatemala, elected to a single four-year term. The position of President was created in 1839. Selectio ...
from 1996 to 2000, as well as several terms as
Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...
of
Guatemala City Guatemala City (, also known colloquially by the nickname Guate), is the Capital city, national capital and largest city of the Guatemala, Republic of Guatemala. It is also the Municipalities of Guatemala, municipal capital of the Guatemala Depa ...
. The main achievement of his presidency was the signature of a peace accord with the guerrilla group Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity, which ended Guatemala's 36-year-long
civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. He was elected Mayor of Guatemala City on six occasions: in 1982, when he declined to take office because of a
coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
; in 1986; in 2003, after serving as president; in 2007; in 2011 and 2015, for a term that would see him die in office.


Early career

Born in Guatemala City, Arzú studied Social and Legal Sciences at Rafael Landívar University. In 1978 he became director of the Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (INGUAT); he occupied this position until 1981 when he was elected mayor of Guatemala City for the Guatemalan Christian Democracy (DCG) party. But in 1982 there was a military ''
coup d'état A coup d'état (; ; ), or simply a coup , is typically an illegal and overt attempt by a military organization or other government elites to unseat an incumbent leadership. A self-coup is said to take place when a leader, having come to powe ...
'' and, although the elections were annulled, the military offered him to be the municipal intendent, which he declined. In 1986 he became mayor, after winning the election under the umbrella of the Plan for National Advancement civic committee. In 1989, the civic committee became the National Advancement Party (PAN). Arzú was their presidential candidate for the 1990 elections, finishing in fourth place with 17.3 percent of the vote. The winner, Jorge Serrano, appointed Arzú as minister for foreign affairs in 1991. However, he resigned later that year in protest against Serrano's decision to normalize relations with
Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...
, over most of whose territory Guatemala has long-standing claims.


Presidency

Arzú won the first round of the 1995 general elections in November and then narrowly beat Alfonso Portillo of the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG, ''Frente Republicano Guatemalteco'') in the second round, which took place in January 1996. He obtained 51.2 percent of the vote. The main achievement of Arzú's presidency was the signature of a peace accord with the guerrilla group Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity, which ended Guatemala's 36-year-long
civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
. The negotiations had been going on since 1990, and Arzú gave them a vital new impulse when he met the URNG in
Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
on 26 February 1996. A ceasefire followed on 20 March and various peace agreements were signed as the year progressed. On 12 December an accord legalizing the URNG was signed in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
. On 18 December Congress passed a law giving a partial amnesty to the combatants, before the final accord for a firm and lasting peace was signed on 29 December. As part of this peace accord, Arzú's government proposed a series of reforms to the Constitution of Guatemala, including disbanding the Presidential Guard, reducing the armed forces, and recognizing the rights of indigenous communities. However, a 1999
referendum A referendum, plebiscite, or ballot measure is a Direct democracy, direct vote by the Constituency, electorate (rather than their Representative democracy, representatives) on a proposal, law, or political issue. A referendum may be either bin ...
would reject the proposed reforms. Under Arzú's presidency, there was a significant investment in the country's infrastructure; particularly, the roads were improved, and electric and telephone coverage was increased. As part of this process, several public transportation and utility companies were privatized, which drew heavy criticism due to accusations of irregularities during the process. Some of these companies were the electric utility ''Empresa Eléctrica de Guatemala'' (EEGSA), the telephone service provider GUATEL, the national airline Aviateca, and the railway company FEGUA. Among other challenges faced by Arzú's government was the murder of Archbishop Juan José Gerardi in 1998, which was later attributed to members of the Presidential Guard. Also, the destruction caused by
Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch was an extremely deadly and catastrophic Atlantic hurricane, which became the second-deadliest tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin on record. Mitch caused 11,374 fatalities in Central America in 1998, including approximately ...
that same year and the increase in the crime rate. Despite this, the
gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the total market value of all the final goods and services produced and rendered in a specific time period by a country or countries. GDP is often used to measure the economic performanc ...
grew about 3 percent annually, and
inflation In economics, inflation is an increase in the average price of goods and services in terms of money. This increase is measured using a price index, typically a consumer price index (CPI). When the general price level rises, each unit of curre ...
was reduced to 5 percent. Officers close to his government carried out assassinations of activists of social organizations.


Later career and death

After his presidential term, Arzú became a member of the Central American Parliament; he occupied this seat from 2000 to 2004. He was elected for a second term as mayor of Guatemala City in 2003 and was elected again in 2007, 2011, and 2015. His last term was set to finish in 2020. During this period, Arzú established the '' Transmetro'' bus rapid transit system and worked on restoring the historical center of Guatemala City. In his final years, 2017 and 2018, Arzú crusaded against the United Nations Commissioner of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), Iván Velásquez, and against the Attorney General, Thelma Aldana, openly accusing them of carrying out a slow coup d'état against President Morales under the cover of a fight against corruption and impunity. In the meantime, he had come under fire himself. On 27 April 2018, Arzú had a heart attack while playing golf in Guatemala City. He died in hospital later that day.


Personal life

Arzú had three children with his first wife, Sylvia García Granados, and two children with his second wife, Patricia Escobar. His son, Álvaro Arzú Escobar, was president of the Congress of Guatemala. He was Guatemala's national squash rackets champion on several occasions.


Awards

* 1996:
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
's Félix Houphouët-Boigny Peace Prize * 1997: During his presidency, the government of Guatemala was awarded
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
's Prince of Asturias Award for International Co-operation. * Monseñor Leonidas Proaño Human Rights Prize ( ALDHU) * 2005: Ranked third in the World Mayor contest.


References


External links


Biography and presidential tenure, by CIDOB FoundationArzú Alcalde
2007 mayoral campaign website {{DEFAULTSORT:Arzu, Alvaro 1946 births 2018 deaths 20th-century presidents of Guatemala Mayors of Guatemala City Ministers of foreign affairs of Guatemala People from Guatemala City National Advancement Party politicians Unionist Party (Guatemala) politicians Guatemalan people of Spanish descent Arzú family Grand Crosses with Diamonds of the Order of the Sun of Peru 21st-century Guatemalan politicians