Bernardo Arévalo, Guatemala’s new president, was formally inaugurated and sworn into office on Monday. This follows an attempted coup d’état which disrupted an initial ceremony on Sunday. International observers have referred to the event as an “orchestrated coup d’état.”
In a message that Arévalo posted on X (formerly known as Twitter) just before the rescheduled ceremony, he expressed a commitment to carry the nation forward. The Verbatim translation from Spanish is, “With you and for you. Guatemala advances.” It’s important to note that this announcement was made amidst celebrations of his transition to power after the August 2023 electoral victory.
This enormous victory, however, was not without controversy. It was disputed and impeded by attempted state interference. In response to the tumultuous events that followed the elections, foreign ministers and diplomats hurriedly convened an emergency meeting on the attempted coup.
This attempted overthrow was short-lived despite videos circulating on social media that pinned lawmakers and the president in a room by coup members. Fortunately, by the early hours of Monday, confidence grew among elected congressional delegates who announced that the coup plotters, known as Pacto de Corruptos, had failed in their objective.
Arévalo is well known as an anti-corruption advocate and his election journey wasn’t smooth sailing. In fact, he was involved in a contentious battle with prosecutors during his electoral campaigns. The Guatemalan attorney general’s office made efforts to discredit Arévalo’s first-round victory, a move which was promptly dismissed by the country’s electoral court.
The Organization of American States (OAS) had prior warned the attorney general’s office against interfering in the ongoing election and violations to the Guatemalan Constitution. By December, US officials announced a series of sanctions against those who had orchestrated politically motivated investigations ultimately disrupting the presidential transition in Guatemala.
Arévalo’s inauguration is indeed a testament to the determination and conviction of the Guatemalan people. The US Agency for International Development Administrator, Samantha Power, most aptly congratulated him and praised the Guatemalan democracy, stating, “Last night’s inauguration was a testament to the determination and conviction of the Guatemalan people to make their voices heard and tirelessly defend their democracy.”