Guatemala Finally Swears In New President Bernardo Arevalo After Months of Drama and Protests

After months of the previous government trying to stop him from taking power, anti-corruption crusader and reformist Bernardo Arevalo has finally been sworn in as the new president of Guatemala.

"We will not allow our institutions to be bent by corruption and impunity," promised Arevalo in his speech after being sworn in as the new president of Guatemala. His swearing-in came hours after a last-ditch effort to prevent him from taking office failed, as protests erupted following the antics of several politicians to delay his swearing-in ceremony.

As Latin Post previously reported, Bernardo Arevalo came out of nowhere to win second place during the primary election and qualify to run against heavy favorite, former First Lady Sandra Torres, during the run-off in August. While Torres represented the status quo of the political elites, the majority flocked to Arevalo, and he would later win a massive landslide against Torres in one of the biggest political upsets in the country's history.

However, his anti-corruption stance has scared many of the country's traditional politicians, with the Attorney General doing everything in her power to bog down the then-president-elect with investigations and accusations. These efforts failed as Arevalo was still sworn in.

Arevalo warned of "a wave of authoritarianism, the spread of intolerance, the restriction of dissent" during his inauguration, according to CBS News. admitting that many believed that their movement was "destined for an authoritarian setback," but Guatemala's "painful passage of uncertainty" was now giving way to hope.

New Guatemala President Bernardo Arevalo Asks Embattled Attorney General To Resign From Office

Ever since he qualified for the run-off election, it was Guatemala Attorney General Consuelo Porras who has been a thorn in new President Bernardo Arevalo's side, launching investigation after investigation, often with no grounds.

After his swearing-in, Arevalo visited the site outside the Attorney General's Office in his first act as president and told the Indigenous protesters who had been protesting outside for over three months to demand Porras to step down that they were defending the country's democracy and applauded them.

Arevalo stated that he would request the resignation of the controversial attorney general, who has been sanctioned by the US and is part of a US corruption watchlist. However, the Associated Press noted that it remains unclear if Arevalo can legally get rid of her.

New Guatemala President Bernardo Arevalo Speaks About Challenges Ahead

During his inauguration, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Colombia's President Gustavo Petro, and Spanish King Felipe VI were all in attendance. Chile's President Gabriel Boric was also there but had to leave early after all the delays made by Guatemala's Congress.

After meeting and greeting all of the foreign leaders, the new president also spoke with the media, a TikToker, and various others. He also spoke with the Spanish language newspaper El Pais and admitted that "the six-month transition period has been an obstacle course, in which every morning one got up to see what new atrocity the corrupt had come up with, and it's not over."

He said he would deliver the expectations of other countries, including the US, which helped pressure the previous government to let him take office.

"What they expect from us is behavior consistent with our commitment to the democratic system. What we need is to create institutions that effectively fulfill their function and that, then, begin to address the development challenges that correspond to them," he stated. "The United States, for example, is very interested in a real commitment to the fight against drug trafficking, which is almost impossible in a government that is undermined by corruption."

"Border countries want to talk about issues such as migration and are interested in seeing that a government that is indeed not willing to surrender to the human trafficking networks that are operating," he continued.

READ MORE: Guatemala Elections: Observers Say Political Parties and Justice System Interfered

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Bernardo Arevalo sworn in as Guatemala president after opponents delay inauguration | WION