President of Guatemala
The president of Guatemala (Spanish: Presidente de Guatemala) officially known as the president of the Republic of Guatemala (Spanish: Presidente de la República de 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. From 1821 until 1839, the head of state of Guatemala was styled simply as Head of State (Spanish: Jefe de Estado).
President of the Republic of Guatemala Presidente de la República de Guatemala | |
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Presidential Standard of Guatemala | |
Office of the President of Guatemala National Security Council | |
Style | Mr. President (informal) Most Excellent Mr. President of the Republic (official) His Excellency (alternative formal, diplomatic outside of Guatemala) |
Member of | Cabinet |
Residence | National Palace |
Seat | Guatemala City |
Appointer | Supreme Electoral Court |
Term length | Four years non-renewable |
Constituting instrument | Guatemalan Constitution |
Inaugural holder | Mariano Rivera Paz |
Formation | 3 December 1839 |
Deputy | Vice President of Guatemala |
Salary | 146,950 GTQ monthly ($19,742 as of May 2018)[1] |
Website | http://www.presidencia.gob.gt/ |
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Guatemala |
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Executive
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Legislature
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Judiciary |
Administrative divisions |
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Requirements to hold office
According to article 185 of the constitution, the following is required to be president:
- A Guatemalan of origin who is a citizen in good standing.
- Forty years of age.
Under article 186, relatives of the incumbent president or vice president are not allowed to run in the succeeding election.
Duties and competences
According to article 183 of the constitution, the following duties and competences are conferred to the president:
- Comply with and enforce the Constitution and laws.
- Provide the defense and security of the Nation, as well as the preservation of public order.
- Exercise the command of the Armed Forces of Guatemala with all the respective functions and attributions.
- Exercise the command of the National Police.
- Approve, promulgate, execute and enforce laws.
- Dictate the provisions that are necessary in cases of serious emergency or public calamity, having to report to the Congress in its immediate sessions.
- Submit proposals of laws to the Congress.
- Exercise the right of veto with respect to the laws issued by the Congress, except in cases in which it is not necessary to sanction the executive branch in accordance with the Constitution.
- Present annually to the Congress, at the beginning of its session, written report on the general situation of the Republic and of the business of its administration carried out during the previous year.
- Submit annually to the Congress, for approval with no less than one hundred and twenty days prior to the date on which the fiscal year begins, through the Ministry of Public Finance, the draft budget that contains in detail the income and expenditures of the State. If the Congress is not in session, it must hold extraordinary sessions to hear about the project.
- Submit for consideration of the Congress for approval, and before ratification, treaties and conventions of international character and contracts and concessions on public services.
- To summon the Legislative Organism to extraordinary sessions when the interests of the Republic demand it.
- Coordinate the development policy of the Nation through the Council of Ministers.
- Preside over the Council of Ministers and exercise the function of hierarchical superior of the officials and employees of the Executive Organism.
- Maintain the territorial integrity and dignity of the Nation.
- Direct foreign policy and international relations, pronounce, ratify and denounce treaties and agreements in accordance with the Constitution.
- Receive the diplomatic representatives, as well as issue and withdraw the exequatur to the patents of the consuls.
- Administer public finances in accordance with the law.
- Exonerate of fines and surcharges to the taxpayers who have incurred in them for not covering the taxes within the legal terms for acts or omissions in the administrative order.
- Appoint and remove ministers of state, deputy ministers, secretaries and undersecretaries of the presidency, ambassadors and other officials that correspond to it according to the law.
- Grant premiums, pensions and subsidies in accordance with the Law.
- Award decorations to Guatemalans and foreigners.
- Within the fifteen days following its conclusion, inform the Congress about the purpose of any trip that has taken place outside the national territory and about the results thereof.
- Submit every four months to the Congress through the respective ministry an analytical report on the budget execution, for its knowledge and control.
- Exercise all other functions assigned by the Constitution or the law.
Heads of state of Federal Republic of Central America (1821–1840)
Superior political chiefs
No | Portrait | Head of State | Term of office | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||
1 | Gabino Gaínza | 15 September 1821 | 5 January 1822 | 112 days | |
2 | Part of the First Mexican Empire (5 January 1822 – 1 July 1823) | ||||
3 | Vicente Filisola | 1 July 1823 | 10 July 1823 | 9 days | |
First triumvirate
No | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
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Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
4 | Pedro Molina Mazariegos | 10 July 1823 | 4 October 1823 | 86 days | Liberal | |
5 | Antonio Rivera Cabezas | 10 July 1823 | 4 October 1823 | 86 days | Liberal | |
6 | Juan Vicente Villacorta Díaz | 10 July 1823 | 4 October 1823 | 86 days | ||
Second triumvirate
No | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
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Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
7 | Juan Vicente Villacorta Díaz | 6 October 1823 | 15 March 1824 | 161 days | Liberal | |
8 | Manuel José Arce | 15 March 1824 | 20 October 1824 | 219 days | Liberal | |
9 | José Manuel de la Cerda y Aguilar | 20 October 1824 | 29 April 1825 | 191 days | ||
10 | Tomas O'Horan | 4 October 1823 | 29 April 1825 | 1 year,
207 days |
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11 | José Santiago Milla Pineda Arriaga | 4 October 1823 | 5 February 1824 | 124 days | ||
12 | José Cecilio del Valle | 5 February 1824 | 29 April 1825 | 1 year,
84 days |
Conservative | |
Presidents
No | Portrait | Name | Term of office | Party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||
13 | Manuel José Arce | 29 April 1825 | 13 April 1829 | 3 years,
349 days |
Liberal | |
14 | Mariano Beltranena y Llano (interim) | 13 April 1829 | 14 June 1829 | 62 days | Liberal | |
15 | José Francisco Barrundia (interim) | 26 June 1829 | 16 June 1830 | 355 days | Liberal | |
16 | Francisco Morazán | 16 September 1830 | 16 September 1834 | 4 years | Liberal | |
17 | José Cecilio del Valle | Elected in 1834 | Died in 1834 before being sworn into office | Conservative | ||
18 | José Gregorio Salazar (interim) | 16 September 1834 | 14 February 1835 | 151 days | Liberal | |
19 | Francisco Morazán | 14 February 1835 | 1 February 1839 | 3 years,
352 days |
Liberal | |
20 | Diego Vigil Cocaña (interim) | 1 February 1839 | 31 March 1840 | 1 year,
60 days |
Liberal | |
Heads of state of Guatemala within the Federal Republic of Central America (1824–1839)
No. | Portrait | Name | Time of Office | Party | Notes | ||
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Took Office | Left Office | Time in Office | |||||
1 | Alejandro Diaz Cabeza de Vaca | 15 September 1824 | 12 October 1824 | 3 weeks, 6 days | Conservative | Provisional | |
2 | Juan Nepomuceno Barrundia Cepeda | 12 October 1824 | 9 September 1826 | 1 year, 10 months, 28 days | Liberal | ||
3 | Cirilo Flores | 9 September 1826 | 13 October 1826 | 1 month, 4 days | N/A | Acting. | |
4 | Jose Domingo Estrada | 2 January 1827 | 1 March 1827 | 1 Months, 30 day | Conservative | Acting. | |
5 | Mariano de Aycinena y Piñol | 1 March 1827 | 12 April 1829 | 2 years, 1 month, 11 days | Conservative | ||
6 | Mariano Zenteno | 13 April 1829 | 30 April 1829 | 2 weeks, 3 days | Conservative | Provisional. | |
7 | Juan Nepomuceno Barrundia y Cepeda | 30 April 1829 | 23 August 1829 | 3 months, 24 days | Liberal | ||
8 | Pedro Molina Mazariegos | 23 August 1829 | 10 February 1831 | 1 years, 5 months, 18 days | Liberal | ||
9 | José Gregorio Márquez | 10 February 1831 | 28 August 1831 | 6 months, 18 days | N/A | Acting. | |
10 | Mariano Gálvez | 28 August 1831 | 3 March 1838 | 6 years, 6 months, 6 days | Liberal | ||
11 | Pedro José Valenzuela y Jáuregui | 3 March 1838 | 29 July 1838 | 4 months, 26 days | N/A | Acting. | |
12 | Mariano Rivera Paz | 29 July 1838 | 30 January 1839 | 6 months, 1 days | Liberal | Acting.
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13 | Carlos Salazar Castro | 30 January 1839 | 13 April 1839 | 2 months,14 days | N/A | Provisional. | |
14 | Mariano Rivera Paz | 13 April 1839 | 3 December 1839 | 7 months, 20 days | Liberal | Acting.
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Presidents of independent Guatemala (1839–)
No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Elected | Term of Office | Political Affiliation | ||
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Took office | Left office | Time in office | |||||
1 | Mariano Rivera Paz (1804–1849) |
— | 3 December 1839 | 25 February 1842 | 2 years,
82 days |
Conservative | |
2 | José Venancio López Requena (1791–1863) Acting Head of State |
— | 25 February 1842 | 14 May 1842 | 78 days | Liberal | |
3 | Mariano Rivera Paz (1804–1849) |
— | 14 May 1842 | 14 December 1844 | 2 years,
213 days |
Conservative | |
4 | Rafael Carrera (1814–1865) |
— | 14 December 1844 | 16 August 1848 | 3 years,
245 days |
Conservative | |
5 | Juan Antonio Martínez ( ? – 1854) Acting President |
— | 16 August 1848 | 28 November 1848 | 104 days | Conservative | |
6 | José Bernardo Escobar (1797–1849) Acting President |
— | 28 November 1848 | 1 January 1849 | 34 days | Conservative | |
7 | Mariano Peredes (1800–1856) Acting President |
— | 1 January 1849 | 6 November 1851 | 2 years,
309 days |
Independent | |
8 | Rafael Carrera (1814–1865) |
— | 6 November 1851 | 14 April 1865 | 13 years,
160 days |
Conservative | |
9 | Pedro de Aycinena y Piñol (1802–1897) Acting President |
— | 14 April 1865 | 24 May 1865 | 40 days | Conservative | |
10 | Vicente Cerna Sandoval (1815–1885) |
— | 24 May 1865 | 29 June 1871 | 6 years,
35 days |
Conservative | |
11 | Miguel García Granados (1809–1878) |
— | 29 June 1871 | 4 June 1873 | 1 year,
340 days |
Liberal | |
12 | Justo Rufino Barrios (1835–1885) |
1873 | 4 June 1873 | 2 April 1885 | 11 years,
302 days |
Liberal | |
13 | Alejandro M. Sinibaldi (1825–1896) Acting President |
— | 2 April 1885 | 5 April 1885 | 3 days | Liberal | |
14 | Manuel Barillas (1845–1907) |
— | 6 April 1885 | 15 March 1892 | 6 years,
343 days |
Liberal | |
15 | José María Reina Barrios (1854–1898) |
1892 | 15 March 1892 | 8 February 1898 | 5 years,
328 days |
Liberal | |
16 | Manuel Estrada Cabrera (1857–1924) |
1898 | 8 February 1898 | 15 April 1920 | 22 years,
67 days |
Liberal | |
17 | Carlos Herrera (1856–1930) |
1920 | 15 April 1920 | 10 December 1921 | 1 year,
238 days |
Unionist Party | |
18 | José María Orellana (1872–1926) |
1922 | 10 December 1921 | 26 September 1926 | 4 years,
289 days |
Liberal | |
19 | Lázaro Chacón González (1873–1931) |
1926 | 26 September 1926 | 2 January 1931 | 4 years,
98 days |
Unionist Party | |
20 | José María Reina Andrade (1860–1947) Acting President |
— | 2 January 1931 | 14 February 1931 | 43 days | Liberal | |
21 | Jorge Ubico Castañeda (1878–1946) |
1931 | 14 February 1931 | 4 July 1944 | 13 years,
141 days |
Liberal | |
22 | Juan Federico Ponce Vaides (1889–1956) Acting President |
— | 4 July 1944 | 20 October 1944 | 108 days | Liberal | |
23 | Revolutionary Government Junta | — | 20 October 1944 | 15 March 1945 | 146 days | Military | |
24 | Juan José Arévalo Bermejo (1904–1990) |
1944 | 15 March 1945 | 15 March 1951 | 6 years | Revolutionary Action Party | |
25 | Jacobo Árbenz Guzmán (1913–1971) |
1950 | 15 March 1951 | 27 June 1954 (Deposed) |
3 years,
103 days |
Revolutionary Action Party / Party of the Guatemalan Revolution | |
26 | Carlos Enrique Díaz de León (1915–2014) Provisional President |
— | 27 June 1954 | 29 June 1954 | 2 days | Military | |
27 | Elfego Hernán Monzón Aguirre (1912–1981) Chairman of Military Junta |
— | 29 June 1954 | 8 July 1954 | 9 days | Military | |
28 | Carlos Castillo Armas (1914–1957) |
— | 8 July 1954 | 26 July 1957 | 3 years,
18 days |
Military | |
29 | Luis Arturo González López (1900–1965) Acting President |
— | 27 July 1957 | 24 October 1957 | 89 days | National Progress Party | |
30 | Óscar Mendoza Azurdia (1917–1995) Chairman of Military Junta |
— | 24 October 1957 | 26 October 1957 | 2 days | Military | |
31 | Guillermo Flores Avendaño (1894–1982) Acting President |
— | 26 October 1957 | 2 March 1958 | 127 days | Military | |
32 | Miguel Ydígoras Fuentes (1895–1982) |
1958 | 2 March 1958 | 31 March 1963
(Deposed) |
5 years,
29 days |
Military / National Democratic Reconciliation Party | |
33 | Enrique Peralta Azurdia (1908–1997) |
— | 31 March 1963 | 1 July 1966 | 3 years,
92 days |
Institutional Democratic Party | |
34 | Julio César Méndez Montenegro (1915–1996) |
1966 | 1 July 1966 | 1 July 1970 | 4 years | Revolutionary Party | |
35 | Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio (1918–2003) |
1970 | 1 July 1970 | 1 July 1974 | 4 years | Institutional Democratic Party | |
36 | Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García (1930–2009) |
1974 | 1 July 1974 | 1 July 1978 | 4 years | Institutional Democratic Party | |
37 | Fernando Romeo Lucas García (1924–2006) |
1978 | 1 July 1978 | 23 March 1982 | 3 years,
265 days |
Institutional Democratic Party | |
38 | José Efraín Ríos Montt (1926–2018) |
— | 23 March 1982 | 8 August 1983 | 1 year,
137 days |
Military | |
39 | Óscar Humberto Mejía Víctores (1930–2016) |
— | 8 August 1983 | 14 January 1986 | 2 years,
158 days |
Military | |
40 | Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo (born 1942) |
1985 | 14 January 1986 | 14 January 1991 | 5 years | Guatemalan Christian Democracy | |
41 | Jorge Antonio Serrano Elías (born 1945) |
1990 | 14 January 1991 | 1 June 1993 | 2 years,
139 days |
Solidarity Action Movement | |
42 | Gustavo Adolfo Espina Salguero (born 1946) |
— | 1 June 1993 | 5 June 1993 | 4 days | Solidarity Action Movement | |
43 | Ramiro de León Carpio (1942–2002) |
1993 | 6 June 1993 | 14 January 1996 | 2 years,
221 days |
Independent | |
44 | Álvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen (1946–2018) |
1995-96 | 14 January 1996 | 14 January 2000 | 4 years | National Advancement Party / Unionist Party | |
45 | Alfonso Antonio Portillo Cabrera (born 1951) |
1999 | 14 January 2000 | 14 January 2004 | 4 years | Guatemalan Republican Front | |
46 | Óscar Rafael Berger Perdomo (born 1946) |
2003 | 14 January 2004 | 14 January 2008 | 4 years | National Solidarity Party / Grand National Alliance | |
47 | Álvaro Colom Caballeros (born 1951) |
2007 | 14 January 2008 | 14 January 2012 | 4 years | National Unity of Hope | |
48 | Otto Fernando Pérez Molina (born 1950) |
2011 | 14 January 2012 | 3 September 2015 | 3 years,
233 days |
Patriotic Party / Grand National Alliance | |
49 | Alejandro Baltasar Maldonado Aguirre (born 1936) Acting President |
— | 3 September 2015 | 14 January 2016 | 133 days | Independent | |
50 | Jimmy Ernesto Morales Cabrera (born 1969) |
2015 | 14 January 2016 | 14 January 2020 | 4 years | National Convergence Front | |
51 | Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei Falla (born 1956) |
2019 | 14 January 2020 | Incumbent | 163 days | Vamos |
Latest election
Candidate | Party | First round | Second round | |||||
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Votes | % | Votes | % | |||||
Alejandro Giammattei | Vamos | 613,302 | 13.95 | 1,907,696 | 57.95 | |||
Sandra Torres | National Unity of Hope | 1,122,630 | 25.54 | 1,384,005 | 42.05 | |||
Edmond Mulet | Humanist Party of Guatemala | 492,799 | 11.21 | |||||
Thelma Cabrera | Movement for the Liberation of Peoples | 455,874 | 10.37 | |||||
Roberto Arzú | National Advancement Party–Podemos | 267,256 | 6.08 | |||||
Isaac Farchi | Vision with Values | 259,288 | 5.90 | |||||
Manuel Villacorta | Winaq | 229,466 | 5.22 | |||||
Estuardo Galdámez | National Convergence Front | 180,983 | 4.12 | |||||
Julio Héctor Estrada | Commitment, Renewal and Order | 164,722 | 3.75 | |||||
Fredy Cabrera | Todos | 137,769 | 3.13 | |||||
Amílcar Rivera | Victoria | 111,734 | 2.54 | |||||
Pablo Ceto | Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity | 94,810 | 2.16 | |||||
Pablo Duarte | Unionist Party | 63,018 | 1.43 | |||||
Manfredo Marroquín | Encuentro por Guatemala | 50,298 | 1.14 | |||||
Aníbal García | Libre | 41,672 | 0.95 | |||||
Benito Morales | Convergence | 37,724 | 0.86 | |||||
Luis Velásquez | Unidos | 26,990 | 0.61 | |||||
José Luis Chea Urruela | Productivity and Work Party | 23,893 | 0.54 | |||||
Danilo Roca | Avanza | 21,179 | 0.48 | |||||
Invalid/blank votes | 667,460 | – | – | |||||
Total | 5,062,867 | 100 | 3,291,701 | 100 | ||||
Registered voters/turnout | 8,150,221 | 62.12 | 40.39 | |||||
Source: Supreme Electoral Tribunal (both rounds preliminaries, 99% counted) |
Living former presidents
- Vinicio Cerezo, 1986–1991
- Jorge Serrano Elías, 1991–1993
- Alfonso Portillo, 2000–2004
- Óscar Berger, 2004–2008
- Álvaro Colom, 2008–2012
- Otto Pérez Molina, 2012–2015
- Alejandro Maldonado, 2015–2016
- Jimmy Morales, 2016–2020
Notes
References
- Rony Ríos (17 January 2017). "Jimmy Morales el presidente mejor pagado de Latinoamérica". elPeriódico. Archived from the original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
- "Jimmy Morales tomó la banda presidencial como el 50° Presidente de la República de Guatemala". TN23 (news station, original in video). 16 January 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- "Jimmy Morales asume como nuevo presidente de Guatemala". CNN Español. 14 January 2016. Archived from the original on 4 February 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
- Tulio Juárez (17 March 2017). "¿Qué le obsequiaría usted este sábado al presidente Jimmy Morales en su 48 cumpleaños?". elPeriódico. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 5 April 2019.