Eduardo González
The chaos generated this weekend in Guatemala by the attempts of several parliamentarians to prevent the inauguration of the new president, Bernardo Arévalo de León, forced King Felipe VI and other leaders to return to their countries without being able to attend the event. On the other hand, the Spanish Government has joined the EU, the OAS and many other countries, including the US, in its support for the new president and the democratic transfer of power in the Central American country.
Arévalo took office at midnight from Sunday to Monday, ten hours late due to the attempt of several MPs to obstruct the process. “Never again will authoritarianism,” the new president proclaimed during his inauguration speech. “The people of Guatemala have demonstrated their wisdom, and institutions such as the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Electoral Tribunal have protected the sovereign desire of Guatemalans to live in democracy,” he added. Arévalo also assured that his government is “firmly committed to the fight for the preservation and expansion of freedom and democracy” and that the country has “an exceptional opportunity” to transform the course of its history.
Guatemala has experienced a tumultuous process of transfer of powers characterized by the repeated attempts of the Guatemalan Prosecutor’s Office to reverse Arévalo’s electoral victory and by the attitude of several outgoing Legislative MPs who, until the last minute, did everything possible to hinder the constitution of Congress.
In the midst of widespread chaos with accusations of a “coup d’état”, physical confrontations, insults, confinement of parliamentarians under lock and key inside the Chamber and demonstrations outside Congress to demand that MPs comply with the law, Congress – formed by 160 MPs – was finally able to be established and give way to the inauguration, which began at midnight from Sunday to Monday, ten hours late.
As a consequence, many of the special guests at the inauguration were forced to return to their countries without attending Alvarado’s inauguration, including the King of Spain, Felipe VI, and the presidents of Chile, Gabriel Boric; Paraguay, Santiago Peña, and Costa Rica, Rodrigo Chaves. The King was able to meet with Arévalo on Saturday, on the eve of his investiture. During the meeting, both parties expressed their commitment to strengthen and strengthen the ties of cooperation and friendship that have historically united the two nations.
Support from Spain and the international community
Meanwhile, both Spain and the rest of the international community yesterday expressed their support for the new president of Guatemala and the democratic and peaceful transfer of power. “I want to express my strongest support for the elected president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, on the day of his inauguration, as well as for Guatemalan democracy,” declared the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, through his official account on the social network X. “The will of the people of Guatemala, freely expressed at the polls, in a transparent electoral process, must be respected,” he added.
For his part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, held a meeting with his new Guatemalan counterpart, Carlos Ramiro Martínez, to whom he reiterated “Spain’s support for the new government of President Arévalo.” “We support Guatemalan democracy against any attempt to hinder compliance with the electoral result,” he declared through the same social network. In another message, the minister reported that both the foreign ministers meeting in Guatemala for the inauguration and the high representative of EU Foreign and Security Policy, Josep Borrell; The Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB) and the Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagro, had spoken out “in support of President Arévalo and democracy.” “We demand that the will of the people of Guatemala be respected,” he added.
Borrell himself declared yesterday, after “a day of tension and intense diplomatic efforts to support the inauguration of President Arévalo,” that “democracy has won in Guatemala.” “Now a new chapter opens. The EU will stand by the Guatemalan people and their institutions, defending the rule of law and promoting social cohesion,” he added.
For his part, US President Joe Biden congratulated Arévalo and stated, in a statement, that the inauguration is “a historic testimony” of the “shared commitment to democracy and the will of the people.” “I congratulate President Bernardo Arévalo and Vice President Karin Herrera of Guatemala on his inauguration and congratulate the people of Guatemala for making their voices heard in this important transition. The United States will continue to support our shared democratic values,” declared US Vice President Kamala Harris. Likewise, the administrator of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power, who led the US delegation at the inauguration, asked that “the will of the people” be “respected” at the polls. “There is no doubt that Bernardo Arévalo is the president of Guatemala,” she warned.
