Who Is New Guatemala President Bernardo Arevalo and Why Are Traditional Politicians Going After Him?

Guatemala finally has a new president after months of prosecutors and politicians trying to stop President Bernardo Arevalo from coming into office. So who is he, and why are so many politicians in the Central American country so eager to stop him from becoming president?

Who Is New Guatemala President Bernardo Arevalo?

At 65 years old, Bernardo Arevalo is the new president of Guatemala. However, a year ago, nobody would have ever seen this happening as he was not even one of the favorites to win the election last year.

The son of Guatemala's first-ever democratically-elected president, Juan Jose Arevalo, Bernardo was considered a political outsider despite serving as a diplomat for Guatemala and being an elected congressman. When he announced his candidacy, people barely knew, and there was little fanfare as many considered him just another name in the race.

However, when opposition leaders who were the favorites to win started finding themselves disqualified, frustrated Guatemalans voted for him in the primary elections. He shocked many by winning second place, thus qualifying for the run-off election against establishment candidate Sandra Torres. He won that via a landslide, showing that Guatemalans were frustrated with the status quo.

Arevalo was actually born in Uruguay after his father was exiled. He returned to Guatemala as a teenager but left again to study overseas, studying sociology and anthropology abroad in Israel and the Netherlands respectively, according to NBC News.

Given his history abroad, Arevalo served Guatemala as a diplomat, eventually becoming the country's ambassador to Spain. He eventually returned to Spain and founded the Seem Movement party and became a legislator.

As a lawmaker, Arevalo made waves as he went after corrupt officials. However, like many in Guatemala, he grew frustrated as corruption continued to ravage the country, particularly during the rule of his predecessor, Alejandro Giammattei.

As the new president, he faces an uphill battle as his anti-corruption stance and outsider status are considered one of the biggest threats to the deep-rooted interests in Guatemala, according to the Associated Press. This is evident in the various investigations being launched against him and his party.

Why Is Guatemala AG Consuelo Porras Going After President Bernardo Arevalo?

One of his biggest roadblocks remains to be Guatemala Attorney General Consuelo Porras, who has launched investigations into the Seed Movement, and her prosecutors even tried lifting his immunity and stopping him coming to power.

Arevalo has already stated that he plans to meet with Consuelo Porras this week and ask for her to resign as presidents do not have the power to fire the Attorney General.

The 70-year-old top prosecutor is widely viewed as a protector of Guatemala's political and business elite, according to the Associated Press. The AG, meanwhile, shut down efforts to investigate and prosecute corruption.

Her actions have led to her being sanctioned twice by the United States government, with her being accused of undermining democracy and torpedoing the anti-corruption fight. She has also been criticized by international organizations like the OAS and the EU, as well as Brazil.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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