Bernardo Arévalo
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César Bernardo Arévalo de León (; born 7 October 1958) is a Guatemalan diplomat, sociologist, writer, and politician serving as the 52nd and current
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 ...
since 2024. A member and co-founder of the Semilla party, he previously served as a deputy in the
Congress of Guatemala The Congress of the Republic () is the unicameral legislature of the Republic of Guatemala. The Guatemalan Congress is made up of 160 deputies who are elected by direct universal suffrage to serve four-year terms. The electoral system is cl ...
from 2020 to 2024, as Ambassador to Spain from 1995 to 1996 and as Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1994 to 1995. Arévalo was born in
Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
,
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
, during the exile of his father, former president
Juan José Arévalo Juan José Arévalo Bermejo (10 September 1904 – 8 October 1990) was a Guatemalan statesman and professor of philosophy who became Guatemala's first democratically elected president in 1945. He was elected following a popular uprising again ...
. He graduated from
Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...
with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. In the 1980s, Arévalo joined the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
, he held several key positions, including Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to Spain. After his diplomatic service, he joined
Interpeace Interpeace is an international organization for peacebuilding which advances sustainable peace in two mutually reinforcing ways: (1) strengthening the capacities of societies to manage conflict themselves in non-violent and non-coercive ways; and ...
, where he served as an advisor on conflict resolution. Later, he graduated from
Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...
with a doctorate in philosophy and social anthropology. Arévalo returned to Guatemala as a result of the
2015 protests Fifteen or 15 may refer to: *15 (number) *one of the years 15 BC, AD 15, 1915, 2015 Music * Fifteen (band), a punk rock band Albums * ''15'' (Buckcherry album), 2005 * ''15'' (Ani Lorak album), 2007 * ''15'' (Phatfish album), 2008 * ...
, where he co-founded an analysis group that later became the
Movimiento Semilla Movimiento Semilla (, ) is a centre-left, progressive, social-democratic political party in Guatemala. On 14 January 2024, it became Guatemala's governing party following the inauguration of President Bernardo Arévalo. The current legal status ...
political party. He was elected as a member of the Congress in the 2019 election, then as Secretary-General of the party in 2022. Arévalo was nominated as a presidential candidate in the 2023 general election and, surprisingly qualified for the
second round The second (symbol: s) is a unit of time derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes, and finally to 60 seconds each (24 × 60 × 60 = 86400). The current and formal definition in the International System of Un ...
, triggering accusations of electoral fraud and a judicial investigation into his party and its members, threatening the election results, which was widely condemned nationally and internationally. He defeated former first lady Sandra Torres in the second round on 20 August 2023. His electoral victory made him the first son of a former Guatemalan president to be elected as president and the second individual not born in Guatemala to hold the office. The
Organization of American States The Organization of American States (OAS or OEA; ; ; ) is an international organization founded on 30 April 1948 to promote cooperation among its member states within the Americas. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, the OAS is ...
stepped in to support and facilitate the presidential transition. Arévalo was sworn on 15 January, following a lengthy delay in the certification of the results by the outgoing legislature of Congress. Arévalo's administration has been marked by symbolic measures and moderate legislative successes in agriculture, health, economy, and infrastructure, along with advances in education, labor,
international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...
, tourism, culture and sport. He has faced strong opposition from the judiciary, the Congress and the establishment, which has hampered his ability to govern effectively. However, inexperience and continuous communication errors and costs of living and violence have remained high, eroding his popularity.


Early life and education

Arévalo was born on 7 October 1958 in
Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
, Uruguay, the son of
Juan José Arévalo Juan José Arévalo Bermejo (10 September 1904 – 8 October 1990) was a Guatemalan statesman and professor of philosophy who became Guatemala's first democratically elected president in 1945. He was elected following a popular uprising again ...
(1904–1990), the former
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 ...
between 1945 and 1951, and his second wife, Margarita de León (born in 1925). At the time of Arévalo's birth, his father was living in political exile in South America following the
1954 Guatemalan coup d'état The 1954 Guatemalan coup d'état () deposed the democratically elected Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz and marked the end of the Guatemalan Revolution. The coup installed the military dictatorship of Carlos Castillo Armas, the first in ...
. Arévalo's family left Uruguay when he was less than two years old, and he spent parts of his childhood living in Venezuela, Mexico, and Chile. He went to Guatemala for the first time at the age of 15 to study at the Liceo Guatemala, a private Catholic school in
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 ...
. While his father was serving as the Ambassador of Guatemala to Israel, Arévalo attended and graduated from the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; ) is an Israeli public university, public research university based in Jerusalem. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann in July 1918, the public university officially opened on 1 April 1925. ...
in Israel with a bachelor's degree in sociology. At the Hebrew University, he studied the history of Christianity in Latin America. He then obtained a doctorate in philosophy and social anthropology from
Utrecht University Utrecht University (UU; , formerly ''Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht'') is a public university, public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established , it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of ...
in the Netherlands.


Diplomatic career

Arévalo joined the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...
during the 1980s as a diplomat. Between 1984 and 1986, he was the first secretary and consul at the Guatemalan embassy in Israel and subsequently acted as minister counselor from 1987 to 1988. In 1988, Arévalo returned to Guatemala, where he was appointed deputy director of strategic studies and planning, again within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He went on to serve as director of bilateral foreign policy from 1990 to 1991, international bilateral relations from 1992 to 1993, and international economic and multilateral relations from 1993 to 1994. In 1994, President
Ramiro de León Carpio Ramiro de León Carpio (12 January 1942 – 16 April 2002) was a Guatemalan politician who served as the 43rd president of Guatemala from June 1993 until January 1996. He served as Guatemala's Attorney for Human Rights from August 1987 to ...
appointed Arévalo Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, a role Arévalo held until 1995. During his time as deputy minister,
Ernesto Zedillo Ernesto Zedillo Ponce de León (; born 27 December 1951) is a Mexican economist and politician. He was the 61st president of Mexico from 1994 to 2000, as the last of the uninterrupted 71-year line of Mexican presidents from the Institutional Re ...
, the
President of Mexico The president of Mexico (), officially the president of the United Mexican States (), is the head of state and head of government of Mexico. Under the Constitution of Mexico, the president heads the executive branch of the federal government and ...
, decorated Arévalo with the
Order of the Aztec Eagle The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle () forms part of the Mexican Honors System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners. History It was created by decree on December 29, 1933, by President Abelardo L. Rodríguez as a reward to ...
in 1995. In 1995, Foreign Minister
Alejandro Maldonado Alejandro Baltazar Maldonado Aguirre (born January 6, 1936) is a Guatemalan statesman who served as the acting president of Guatemala following the Congress' acceptance of the resignation of President Otto Pérez Molina on September 3, 2015. ...
appointed Arévalo as Guatemala's ambassador to Spain; that same year, he presented his credentials to King
Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until Abdication of Juan Carlos I, his abdic ...
. In 1996, Arévalo left his position as ambassador as well as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.


Professional career

After leaving his career as a diplomat, Arévalo served on the board and acted as its president. From 1999, Arévalo held various roles at
Interpeace Interpeace is an international organization for peacebuilding which advances sustainable peace in two mutually reinforcing ways: (1) strengthening the capacities of societies to manage conflict themselves in non-violent and non-coercive ways; and ...
, including advising on peacebuilding and conflict resolution in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. In addition to his peacekeeping work, Arévalo also worked as an advisor to organizations, including the United Nations, the
United States Institute of Peace The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is an American independent, nonprofit, national institute funded by the U.S. Congress and tasked with promoting conflict resolution and prevention worldwide. See alsPDF on USIP website. It provides rese ...
, and the
University of San Diego The University of San Diego (USD) is a Private university, private Catholic Church, Catholic research university in San Diego, California, United States. Chartered in 1949 as the independent San Diego College for Women and San Diego University ...
. He has written books and articles on history, politics, sociology, and diplomacy.


Political career

In 2015, Arévalo took part in the 2015 Guatemalan protests demanding the resignation of President
Otto Pérez Molina Otto Fernando Pérez Molina (born December 1, 1950) is a Guatemalan politician and retired general who served as the 48th president of Guatemala from 2012 to 2015. Standing as the Patriotic Party (''Partido Patriota'') candidate, he lost the ...
. Shortly after the demonstrations, Arévalo was among a group of intellectuals who formed Semilla, a think tank that subsequently was developed into the political party Movimiento Semilla in 2017. Arévalo was announced as the preferred candidate for Semilla for the 2019 presidential election but ultimately declined the candidacy. He was succeeded by
Thelma Aldana Thelma Esperanza Aldana Hernández (; born 27 September 1955) is a Guatemalan jurist and politician who served as President of the Supreme Court from 2011 to 2012 and as attorney general from 2014 to 2018. Early life and education Thelma Aldan ...
, who was eventually prohibited from running. Arévalo instead ran as a candidate for Congress on the national list and was elected as a congressman in the first round of the 2019 general election, becoming one of seven candidates from the Semilla party to win a seat for the IX Congressional legislature. Taking office on 14 January 2020, he served on several committees on foreign affairs, governance, human rights, national security, and national defense and led the Semilla parliamentary bloc between 2020 and 2022. In 2022, he was elected as the Secretary-General Semilla, succeeding
Samuel Pérez Álvarez Samuel Andrés Pérez Álvarez (born 27 August 1992) is a Guatemalan economist and politician who served as the List of presidents of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala, president of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala, Congress of ...
. During his four years as a Deputy, Arévalo took on the role of a rapporteur for several bills. These bills dealt with various issues such as cutting off cellular connections to prisons, extending social security benefits to migrants, deputies, and workers in the informal sector, providing stricter penalties for those who abuse animals, and regulating the prices of pharmaceutical products. During the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, Arévalo and the other members of the Semilla party introduced a bill that would have provided temporary relief to the populace. The bill proposed a budget of 10 million quetzals, with each person receiving 1500 quetzals per month for the duration of the pandemic. In March 2022, Arévalo was the rapporteur for a legislative proposal calling on President
Alejandro Giammattei Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei Falla (; born 9 March 1956) is a Guatemalan politician who was the 51st president of Guatemala from 2020 to 2024. He is a former director of the Guatemalan penitentiary system and participated in Guatemala's presid ...
to take action against Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. The proposal included the cancellation of the mining license of the Compañía Guatemalteca de Níquel, a nickel-mining company that is owned by the Russian company Solway Investment Group. In addition, the legislation called for the cancellation of the contract with the Russian government regarding the Sputnik V vaccines.


2023 presidential campaign

On 22 January 2023, Arévalo was announced as the presidential candidate for Semilla for the 2023 election, running alongside
Karin Herrera Karin Larissa Herrera Aguilar (born 25 July 1967) is a Guatemalan biologist, professor, sociologist, and politician serving as the 18th vice president of Guatemala since 2024. A member of the political party Semilla, she was elected vice presid ...
as his vice-presidential running mate. He was officially registered by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal on 16 February 2023. During his campaign, his supporters referred to him as ''Tío Bernie'' () in reference to both his name and his similarity to American politician and former presidential candidate
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...
. Arévalo's campaigning focused on addressing state corruption and
insecurity Insecure may refer to: * Lack of security, in an objective sense: ** Risk ** Data security ** Computer security * Food insecurity * Insecurity (emotion), lack of confidence or self esteem Media * ''Insecure'' (TV series), a television series ...
in Guatemala, as well as generating employment opportunities and promoting climate change policies. Initial polling by '' Prensa Libre'' in April 2023 showed Arévalo ranked next to last among the candidates, with 0.7% of people polled stating their intention to vote for him. Subsequent polls showed support for Arévalo hovering around 2% in June and May 2023. During the first round of the 2023 election, Arévalo placed second among candidates with over 600,000 votes and was placed in the second-round run-off with Sandra Torres, a former
first lady of Guatemala First Lady of Guatemala is the title held by the wife of the president of Guatemala or designee. The current first lady is Lucrecia Peinado, wife of President Bernardo Arévalo, since 15 January 2024. In the First Lady's Office, located in the Pr ...
and candidate of the
National Unity of Hope The National Unity of Hope (, UNE) is a populist political party in Guatemala. It was founded in 2002 and defined itself as a social-democratic and Christian socialism, social-Christian party, but since transformed and is now described as a right- ...
party. Arévalo placing second was described as a "surprise" by ''
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'' and
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. Semilla also received a large share of the votes, positioning it as the third largest party in the Congress of Guatemala, the
Central American Parliament The Central American Parliament (), also known as PARLACEN, is the political institution and parliamentary body of the Central American Integration System (SICA). Its headquarters are in Guatemala City. History The PARLACEN's origins date b ...
, and the Guatemala City municipal government.


Certification and legal challenges

The certification of the results was delayed due to a controversial appeal granted by the Constitutional Court to nine right-wing parties, including the ruling party,
Vamos Vamos (Greek language, Greek: Βάμος) is a small town and former municipality in the Chania (regional unit), Chania regional unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform "Kallikratis" it is a municipal unit, part of the municipa ...
. These parties challenged the result, alleging "irregularities" and "electoral fraud" in favor of Arévalo, and went as far as to request a new election be held. The Court ordered a new review of the contested results, which was carried out during the first week of July. The new review found no significant changes in the preliminary results. Subsequently, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal made by the parties and authorized the Supreme Electoral Court to formalize the election results. On 12 July 2023, the TSE formalized the election results; at the same time, prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche of the Public Prosecution Service announced, at the request of Judge Fredy Orellana, the suspension of Semilla due to allegations of falsifying signatures to establish the party in 2017. Arévalo, in a
CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...
interview, stated that he would challenge the suspension, claiming that the court had "no legal substance" to make the order. Similarly, legal experts affirmed that Orellana did not act in accordance with the country's election laws. On 13 July 2023, the
Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ru ...
, the highest court for constitutional law, guaranteed Arévalo's participation although it was ambiguous about the status of the party, allowing the second round of the presidential election to proceed. Nevertheless, demonstrations were organized calling for the resignation of Attorney General
María Consuelo Porras María Consuelo Porras Argueta (born August 23, 1953) is a Guatemalan attorney who has been serving as the attorney general of Guatemala since 2018. She previously served as Deputy Magistrate of the Constitutional Court from 2016 to 2018. Presi ...
, prosecutor Curruchiche, and Judge Orellana. Arévalo and his vice presidential candidate, Karin Herrera, were present at the demonstration and filed a criminal complaint against Curruchiche and Orellana. Members of the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...
called on
Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...
to impose sanctions on those responsible for "threatening democracy" in Guatemala and expressed concerns about actions being taken against Arévalo's candidacy. Twenty former leaders from Latin America and Spain issued a joint statement condemning attempts made to disqualify Arévalo from the election, and compared it to the recent disqualification of Venezuelan opposition leader
María Corina Machado María Corina Machado Parisca (born 7 October 1967) is a Venezuelan politician and industrial engineer who is currently Venezuelan opposition, opposition leader in Venezuela. She served as an elected member of the National Assembly of Venezuela ...
.


Presidential transition

The Electoral and Political Party Act restricts a political party's Secretary-General from presiding over the executive branch. Accordingly, on 29 November, Arévalo renounced his affiliation with Semilla and stepped down as the party's Secretary-General. On 8 January 2024, Arévalo and Vice President-elect Herrera held a press conference at the
Centro Cultural Miguel Ángel Asturias The Centro Cultural Miguel Ángel Asturias, commonly called Teatro Nacional, is a cultural center in Guatemala City, Guatemala. It is located in the Centro Cívico (Civic Center) of the city and was built in the same place of the old ''Fuerte de Sa ...
to present the individuals who would serve as the Ministers in Arévalo's cabinet. The cabinet would have been composed of seven men and seven women. However, on 10 January, two days after the announcement, Anayté Guardado, Arévalo's candidate for the Ministry of Energy and Mines, declined the nomination due to controversy that arose on X when a 2018 interview of her resurfaced that showed her support for hydroelectric plants—a contributor to deforestation in Guatemala. Allegations would also arise about Guardado's involvement in the imprisonment of Bernardo Caal, an Indigenous rights activist. Ultimately, Víctor Hugo Ventura Ruiz would replace Guardado as the nominee for the Ministry.


Presidency (2024–present)


Inauguration

Arévalo was
inaugurated In government and politics, inauguration is the process of swearing a person into office and thus making that person the incumbent. Such an inauguration commonly occurs through a formal ceremony or special event, which may also include an inau ...
as the 52nd president of Guatemala on 15 January 2024, at 12:20 am CT. His inauguration was scheduled to be on 14 January but was delayed following the failure of the event's overseeing commission to approve the event's congressional delegation. He is the first president to be the son of a former Guatemalan president and the second president to be born outside of Guatemalan territory (after Miguel García Granados).


First 100 days

In his first days in office, Arévalo reversed a government agreement signed by his predecessor that would have granted security and vehicles to former officials from the Giammattei cabinet for six years. On 18–19 January Arévalo ordered the removal of metal barriers from the presidential residency and
National Palace Buildings called National Palace include: *National Palace (Dominican Republic), in Santo Domingo * National Palace (El Salvador), in San Salvador * National Palace (Ethiopia), in Addis Ababa; also known as the Jubilee Palace * National Palace (Guat ...
. These barriers were initially installed in 2016 during the
Jimmy Morales James Ernesto Morales Cabrera (; born 18 March 1969) is a Guatemalan politician, actor, and comedian who served as the 50th president of Guatemala from 2016 to 2020. Early and personal life Morales was born in Guatemala City to José Everar ...
administration and remained under Alejandro Giammattei's mandate. The Arévalo government characterized the gesture "as a symbol of accessibility and closeness" towards the populace. After the removal of the railings, the Ministry of Culture and Sports reported a 43% increase in visits to the National Palace for the month of February. Between 17 January to 5 February, Arévalo and his cabinet dismissed several heads of government agencies, including the National Institute of Electrification (INDE), the Institute of Victim, and the General Directorate of Civil Aeronautics. These dismissals were attributed to the fact that the agency heads were linked to "acts of corruption" or had not "efficiently fulfilled" their duties. A total of 878 government employees were removed from their positions during Arévalo's first 30 days in office. On 8 February, Arévalo and Francisco Jiménez, the
Minister of the Interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergency ...
, announced the creation of the Special Group Against Extortion (GECE), a special force within the National Civil Police (PNC) aimed at combatting violent crime and extortions. The GECE will consist of 400 motorized officers who will patrol different regions of the country in phases. At the request of Arévalo, the United States government donated equipment to support the new task force. During his first trip as president to
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, from 15 to 23 February, Arévalo temporarily delegated his duties to Vice President Herrera, as established by the Constitution. His itinerary included various activities and high-level meetings in different European countries. In
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
, he participated in the 60th Munich Security Conference and met with German Chancellor
Olaf Scholz Olaf Scholz (; born 14 June 1958) is a German politician who served as the Chancellor of Germany from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, Social Democratic Party (SPD), he previously served as Vice-Chancellor of Ge ...
, Bulgarian Prime Minister
Nikolai Denkov Nikolai Denkov Denkov (, born 3 September 1962) is a Bulgarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria from 2023 to 2024. A member of the PP party, he previously served as Member of the National Assembly from 2022 to 2023 and as ...
, Israeli President
Isaac Herzog Isaac "Bougie" Herzog (; born 22 September 1960) is an Israeli politician who has been serving since 2021 as the president of Israel. He is the first president to have been born in Israel after its Declaration of Independence. Son of former Is ...
and Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskyy Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy (born 25 January 1978) is a Ukrainian politician and former entertainer who has served as the sixth and current president of Ukraine since 2019. He took office five years after the start of the Russo-Ukraini ...
. Later, on 19 February, he arrived in
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to meet with French President
Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Jean-Michel Frédéric Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France and Co-Prince of Andorra since 2017. He was Ministry of Economy and Finance (France), Minister of Economics, Industr ...
at the
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. The next day, in
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, he held meetings with the President of the European Council
Charles Michel Charles Michel (; born 21 December 1975) is a Belgian politician who served as the president of the European Council from 2019 to 2024. He previously served as the Prime Minister of Belgium, prime minister of Belgium between 2014 and 2019. Miche ...
, and the European High Representative of Foreign Affairs
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, thus marking the first visit by a Guatemalan president to the seat of the European Union. On 21 February, Arévalo moved to
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
, where he held a meeting with the president of the
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Thomas Bach Thomas Bach (born 29 December 1953) is a German lawyer, former foil fencer, and Olympic gold medalist. He has served as the ninth president of the International Olympic Committee since 2013, the first ever Olympic champion to be elected to tha ...
, who confirmed the elimination of sanctions on the Guatemalan Olympic Committee. Then, on 22 February, he arrived in Spain to meet with the Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, and attend a banquet offered by King Felipe VI and Queen Queen Letizia of Spain, Letizia. Finally, on 24 February, Arévalo returned to the country. On 9 March 2024, Congress passed the Comprehensive Cancer Care Law, a bill that was first introduced in July 2022. The act provides millions of Quetzal (currency), quetzals to the Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance, Ministry of Health to boost training and research, establish a specialized hospital, and the promotion of cancer care through early detection, prevention, palliative care, and free treatment. Arévalo signed the bill on 22 March 2024. Some analysts have detected "slowness in decision-making" during the first days of Arévalo's presidency, as well as a "lack of strategy" to achieve the departure of Attorney General
María Consuelo Porras María Consuelo Porras Argueta (born August 23, 1953) is a Guatemalan attorney who has been serving as the attorney general of Guatemala since 2018. She previously served as Deputy Magistrate of the Constitutional Court from 2016 to 2018. Presi ...
and maintain a stable legislative alliance (which fragmented at the end of March). On 7 April 2024, Arévalo dismissed Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (Guatemala), Minister of Environment María José Iturbide. His decision came after a report was published by ''Vox Populi'' on 4 April, which revealed that María Fernanda Iturbide, daughter of Minister Iturbide, had used state vehicles for personal activities. The Secretary General of the Presidency published a statement on behalf of Arévalo, stating that the decision was made to "avoid any doubt about the commitment of his administration and tolerance to the misuse of State resources and corruption". On 11 April, Arévalo appointed Patricia Orantes as Iturbide's replacement. On 11 April, Arévalo together with the Minister of Infrastructure Jazmín de la Vega, the mayor of Guatemala City Ricardo Quiñónez Lemus, Ricardo Quiñónez, the United States ambassador to Guatemala Tobin John Bradley, Tobin Bradley and the Guatemala City councilor of Semilla Ninotchka Matute supervised the progress of the construction of the first phase of Metro Riel, one of the priorities of the Arévalo government. On 23 April, during a public event marking the first 100 days of his government, Arévalo fulfilled one of his campaign promises by reducing the presidential salary by 25%. As a result of this reduction, the head of state of Guatemala is no longer the highest-paid president in Latin America. Concurrently, Vice President Karin Herrera, Herrera also announced a 25% reduction in her salary.


Domestic policy


Education

On 4 February 2024, Arévalo announced a school remodeling program through the Ministry of Education (Guatemala), Ministry of Education with the aim of renovating 10,000 schools by the end of 2024. In June 2024, the Ministry of Education reported finishing renovating 4,000 schools.


Subsequent dismissals

On 17 May, Arévalo dismissed Ministry of Communications, Infrastructure, and Housing, Minister of Communications, Infrastructure, and Housing Jazmín de la Vega. The decision was prompted by Minister Vega's authorization of payments to several construction companies that went against the terms of the government contract.


Efforts to dismiss Consuelo Porras

On 5 May 2024, Arévalo delivered a nationally televised speech in which he called for the removal of María Consuelo Porras, Consuelo Porras from her position as Attorney General of Guatemala, Attorney General. In his speech, he reported his intentions to reform the organic law through Congress, so that the "Public Prosecutor's Office does not again be used as a political weapon by any government." On 6 May, Arévalo alongside members of his cabinet walked from the National Palace to Congress to deliver the bill that allowed for the dismissal of Porras. However, Congress failed to hold a plenary session for the bill, and negotiations for it stalled until August 1, when legislators would return from recess.


Energy subsidy

On 31 May, Arévalo announced the expansion of energy subsidies to individuals who consumed up to 99 Kilowatt, kilowatts per month (previously 89 kilowatts). The social tariff is estimated to cover 300,00 more users and will remain in effect until December 2024.


Foreign policy


Nicaragua

Arévalo has had a tense relationship with the Daniel Ortega regime in Nicaragua. On 5 September 2024, the United States Department of State, US State Department secured the release of 135 Nicaraguan political prisoners, and the Guatemalan government agreed to take them in. In November 2024, the governments of Guatemala, Costa Rica, Panama and the Dominican Republic opposed the nomination of former Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada as the new secretary general of the Central American Integration System (SICA). In response, Nicaragua announced that it would retaliate.


Palestine

On 10 May 2024, the Arévalo administration voted in favor of upgrading State of Palestine, Palestine's rights in the United Nations as an Observer State.


Russia

The Arévalo government has kept its distance from Russia, mainly because of its support for Ukraine. Arévalo spoke out against Russia's inclusion as an Observer status, observer state in the
Central American Parliament The Central American Parliament (), also known as PARLACEN, is the political institution and parliamentary body of the Central American Integration System (SICA). Its headquarters are in Guatemala City. History The PARLACEN's origins date b ...
, calling it "inconsistent" for a state that "does not respect the norms of international law".


Taiwan

The Arévalo administration has maintained diplomatic relations with Taiwan and has expressed interest in maintaining them throughout his term. Early in his administration, Arévalo was congratulated by a bipartisan group of U.S. senators (included Marco Rubio and Ben Cardin) for maintaining his pro-Taiwan stance. On 5 June 2025, Arévalo made a state visit to Taiwan, where he met with president Lai Ching-te and reaffirmed Guatemala's support for Taiwan, and vowed to continue to strengthen the ties between both nations.


Venezuela

The Arévalo administration rejected the results announced by the National Electoral Council (Venezuela), National Electoral Council of Venezuela for the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election. In a press conference on August 5th, Arévalo announced that his government would not recognize Nicolás Maduro as the president-elect of Venezuela. He would also condemn the repression made by the Venezuelan government against 2024 Venezuelan protests, domestic protests that broke out in the aftermath of the election. In September 2024, he maintained telephone contact with
María Corina Machado María Corina Machado Parisca (born 7 October 1967) is a Venezuelan politician and industrial engineer who is currently Venezuelan opposition, opposition leader in Venezuela. She served as an elected member of the National Assembly of Venezuela ...
and Edmundo González, Edmundo González Urrutia, where he expressed the support of the Guatemalan government. He subsequently contacted his counterparts Santiago Peña of Paraguay and Luis Lacalle Pou of
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
to monitor the situation.


Political positions

Arévalo claims the political legacy of his father,
Juan José Arévalo Juan José Arévalo Bermejo (10 September 1904 – 8 October 1990) was a Guatemalan statesman and professor of philosophy who became Guatemala's first democratically elected president in 1945. He was elected following a popular uprising again ...
, and former president Jacobo Árbenz. He has described himself as a "social democracy, social democrat" and favors a republican and democratic system. He believes in a state that guarantees social justice and private property and expresses an interest in establishing a new fiscal pact and strengthening social security.


Education

One of Arévalo's campaign pledges is to adopt a "radically different" public education system. He aims to address the poor conditions found in primary and secondary schools by investing Guatemalan quetzal, Q110 billion, which would go towards creating 70,000 new classrooms, 29.5 million textbooks, 36,000 new restrooms for faculty and students, and monthly scholarships of 3,600 for students.


Health

Arévalo favors Universal health care, universal healthcare. He proposes a Q61 billion government budget to cover 7 million people by building 400 new health posts and 50 health centers for regions of more than 15,000 residents and isolated rural areas. Arévalo has also committed to the construction of a public hospital that specializes in cancer treatment.


Foreign policy

Arévalo is in favor of improving trade relations with China but also desires to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. On 20 July, in an interview with ''República'', he reassured his interest in building a relationship with China based on "developing and expanding" economic relations. Arévalo has condemned the government of Nicaragua and has described the governments of Nicaragua and Venezuela as "dictatorial systems". In March 2022, Arévalo was the rapporteur of a legislative proposal that sought to urge President
Alejandro Giammattei Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei Falla (; born 9 March 1956) is a Guatemalan politician who was the 51st president of Guatemala from 2020 to 2024. He is a former director of the Guatemalan penitentiary system and participated in Guatemala's presid ...
to take action against Russia for its invasion of Ukraine. The proposal included the cancellation of the mining license of the Compañía Guatemalteca de Níquel, a nickel-mining company that is owned by the Russian company Solway Investment Group. In addition, the legislation called for the cancellation of the contract with the Russian government regarding the Sputnik V vaccines.


Social issues

Arévalo has ruled out the possibility of legalizing same-sex marriage and abortion (which is only permitted in Guatemala if the mother's life is in danger), but he has also stated that he will not tolerate discrimination due to Religious discrimination, religion and Sexual orientation discrimination, sexual orientation.


Personal life

Arévalo has been married three times. In 1983, he married Argentine citizen Teresa Lapín Ganman; they divorced in 1992. The following year, Arévalo married Eva Rivara Figueroa, a fellow diplomat, with whom he had two daughters. Since 2011, Arévalo has been married to Lucrecia Peinado. He has three daughters and three stepchildren. In addition to his native Spanish, Arévalo speaks English, Hebrew, French, and Portuguese. He is a Catholic Church in Guatemala, Catholic. During the election campaign, in a TikTok video, Arévalo referred to the famous 2009_MTV_Video_Music_Awards#Kanye_West–Taylor_Swift_incident, 2009 Kanye West–Taylor Swift incident where he revealed to be a Swifties, fan of Taylor Swift. The video quickly went viral among young voters, which successfully boosted his presidential campaign during the first round.


Honors

*
Order of the Aztec Eagle The Mexican Order of the Aztec Eagle () forms part of the Mexican Honors System and is the highest Mexican order awarded to foreigners. History It was created by decree on December 29, 1933, by President Abelardo L. Rodríguez as a reward to ...
(Mexico, 1995)


References


External links


Website of Bernardo ArévaloTwitter of Bernardo Arévalo

CIDOB Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arevalo, Bernardo 1958 births Living people Politicians from Montevideo Presidents of Guatemala Members of the Congress of Guatemala Ambassadors of Guatemala to Spain Movimiento Semilla politicians Candidates for President of Guatemala Children of presidents of Guatemala Guatemalan academics Guatemalan sociologists Guatemalan writers Guatemalan Roman Catholics Uruguayan people of Guatemalan descent Guatemalan expatriates in Chile Guatemalan expatriates in Israel Guatemalan expatriates in Mexico Guatemalan expatriates in the Netherlands Guatemalan expatriates in Venezuela Uruguayan expatriates in Chile Uruguayan expatriates in Israel Uruguayan expatriates in Mexico Uruguayan expatriates in the Netherlands Uruguayan expatriates in Venezuela Social anthropologists Utrecht University alumni Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni 20th-century Guatemalan politicians 21st-century Guatemalan politicians