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
Coat of arms of the President
Presidential Standard of Guatemala
Incumbent Alejandro Giammattei since 14 January 2020
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/

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 Guatemala within the Federal Republic of Central America (1824–1839)

No.	Portrait	Name	Term of office			Political party
			Took office	Left office	Time in Office
1		Alejandro Diaz Cabeza de Vaca (Provisional)	15 September 1824	12 October 1824	3 weeks, 6 days	Conservative
2		Juan Nepomuceno Barrundia Cepeda	12 October 1824	9 September 1826	1 year, 10 months, 28 days	Liberal
3		Cirilo Flores (Acting)	9 September 1826	13 October 1826	1 month, 4 days	N/A
4		Jose Domingo Estrada (Acting)	2 January 1827	1 March 1827	1 Months, 30 days	Conservative
5		Mariano de Aycinena y Piñol	1 March 1827	12 April 1829	2 years, 1 month, 11 days	Conservative
6		Mariano Zenteno (Provisional)	13 April 1829	30 April 1829	2 weeks, 3 days	Conservative
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 (Acting)	10 February 1831	28 August 1831	6 months, 18 days	N/A
10		Mariano Gálvez	28 August 1831	3 March 1838	6 years, 6 months, 6 days	Liberal
11		Pedro José Valenzuela y Jáuregui (Acting)	3 March 1838	29 July 1838	4 months, 26 days	N/A
12		Mariano Rivera Paz (Acting (1st time))	29 July 1838	30 January 1839	6 months, 1 days	Liberal
13		Carlos Salazar Castro (Provisional)	30 January 1839	13 April 1839	2 months, 14 days	N/A
14		Mariano Rivera Paz (Acting (2nd time))	13 April 1839	3 December 1839	7 months, 20 days	Liberal

Presidents of independent Guatemala (1839–present)

[a 1]

No.	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Elected	Term of Office			Political party
				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 1880	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 1904 1910 1916	8 February 1898	15 April 1920	22 years, 67 days	Liberal
17		Carlos Herrera (1856–1930)	1920 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	Independent
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	214 days	Vamos

Latest election

Main article: 2019 Guatemalan general election

Candidate		Party	First round		Second round
			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

1. Note: Regarding the numbering of the terms, several reliable sources state that Jimmy Morales is the 50th president[2][3][4]

References

1. 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.
2. "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.
3. "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.
4. 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.