The president of Guatemala, officially titled President of the Republic of 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.

Selection process

Eligibility

Article 185 of the Constitution, sets the following requirements to qualify for the presidency: A person who meets the above qualifications would, however, still be disqualified from holding the office of president if the individual:

Term Limit

The President serves a four-year term and is prohibited from seeking re-election or extending their tenure. Moreover, a person who held the position of president for more than two years is barred from running for office again.

Executive powers

Article 183 of the Constitution, confers the following duties and competencies to the president:

Vacancies and succession

Article 189 of the Constitution establishes the presidential line of succession. If the president is temporarily absent, the vice president takes over the presidency. If the absence of the President is permanent, the vice president holds the presidency until the end of the constitutional period. In the event of a double vacancy, Congress has the authority to designate an acting president by a vote of two-thirds of the total number of deputies.

Presidents of Guatemala

Note: Regarding the numbering of the terms, several reliable sources state that Jimmy Morales is the 50th president

State of Guatemala (1839–1847)

Republic from Carrera to the Liberal Revolution (1847–1871)

Liberal period (1871–1944)

Ten-Year Revolution (1944–1954)

The authoritarian regime of Jorge Ubico, which persisted since 1931, was overthrown by a revolution known as the  "Ten Years of Spring" on 4 July 1944. After more than a month of mass student and trade union protests, Ubico resigned and fled to Mexico, transferring powers to his First Deputy, Federico Ponce Vaides. Presidential elections were held on 4 July 1944, which declared Ponce as the president. However, the opposition rejected the results, and as a result, on 20 October 1944, a group of young officers overthrew Ponce, creating a military-civilian government called the Revolutionary Government Junta. A new constitution was adopted and elections were held, which resulted in the victory of Juan José Arévalo in 1944 and Jacobo Árbenz in 1950. During this period, Guatemala underwent numerous social and economic reforms, including large-scale land reform.

Military governments (1954–1958)

Upon presenting his resignation, Jacobo Árbenz left Colonel Carlos Enrique Díaz, head of the Armed Forces, in charge of the presidency. Diaz's first measure was the integration of a provisional government board which he led alongside Colonels Elfego H. Monzón and José Ángel Sánchez. On 29 June, Díaz was forced to resign, leading to Monzón succeeding as the new chairman of the board. Monzón would assemble a new governing board and incorporate Colonel Castillo Armas, Juan Mauricio Dubois, Jose Luis Cruz Salazar, and Enrique Oliva. The new board would dissolve after a popular plebiscite held on 10 October 1954 would allow Colonel Castillo Armas to assume the presidency. Under Armas' mandate, several reforms implemented during the Guatemalan Revolution were suspended, and political opponents, as well as unions and peasant organizations, were persecuted. Armas' assassination on 26 July 1957, would prompt Congress to appoint Luis Arturo González as acting president and condition him to call for elections within four months. The planned election was held on 20 October 1957, but the results were later nullified due to allegations of fraud. President González would resign and cede power to a provisional governing board led by Óscar Mendoza Azurdia, Gonzalo Yurrita Nova, and Roberto Lorenzana. The new board would govern for two days before Congress would appoint Colonel Guillermo Flores Avendaño as acting president. President Avendaño would call for elections in January 1958.

Civil War period (1958–1996)

Contemporary period (1996–present)

Timeline

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