Political Leaders: Guatemala

Leaders of Guatemala
(Republic of Guatemala)

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Look for biographies of the leaders (in Spanish) at CIDOB website.

Parties: AN: National Alliance (DCG + UCN + PSD coalition) ANN: Alliance New Nation (URNG + DIA coalition) CAO: Organized Aranista Central CUN: Crusade of National Union (DCG + PRA coalition) DCG: Guatemalan Christian Democracy DIA: True Integral Development FDP People's Democratic Front (PID + PR + FUN coalition) FNO: National Opposition Front (DCG + PRA + FUR coalition) FRG: Guatemalan Republican Front FUN: Front of National Union FUR: United Front of the Revolution GANA: Grand National Alliance (PP + MR + PSN coalition) MAS: Solidarity Action Movement MLN: National Liberation Movement MR: Reform Movement PAN: National Advancement Party PAR: Revolutionary Action Party PDCN: Democratic Party of National Cooperation PID: Democratic Institutional Party PNR: National Renewal Party PP: Patriotic Party PR: Revolutionary Party PRA: True Revolutionary Party PRDN: National Democratic Reconciliation/Redemption Party PSD: Social Democratic Party PSN: National Solidarity Party UCN: Union of National Center UNE: National Union of Hope UNO: National Opposition Union (DCG + PNR coalition) URNG: Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity n/p: non-party

Heads of State

Revolutionary Junta of Government 
 -Maj. Francisco Javier Arana                               (+1949)a military  
 -Capt. Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán                                (+1971)  military
 -Jorge Toriello Garrido          20 Oct 1944 - 15 Mar 1945 (+1998)                     

Presidents of the Republic
Juan José Arévalo Bermejo         15 Mar 1945 - 15 Mar 1951 (+1990)  PAR
Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán              15 Mar 1951 - 27 Jun 1954 (+1971)  PAR
Carlos Enrique Díaz de León       27 Jun 1954 - 28 Jun 1954          military (provisional)

I Junta of Government
 -Col. Elfego Hernán Monzón Aguirre                         (+1981)  military 
 -Col. José Ángel Sánchez                                            military 
 -Col. José Luis Cruz Salazar                                        military
 -Col. Carlos Enrique Díaz de León                                   military
 -Col. Mauricio Dubois            28 Jun 1954 -  2 Jul 1954          military

II Junta of Government
 -Col. Carlos Castillo Armas                                (+1957)a military, chair (1)
 -Col. Mauricio Dubois                                               military
 -Maj. Enrique Trinidad Oliva                                        military
 -Col. Elfego Hernán Monzón Aguirre                         (+1981)  military
 -Col. José Luis Cruz Salazar      2 Jul 1954 -  1 Sep 1954          military

Presidents of the Republic
Carlos Castillo Armas              1 Sep 1954 - 26 Jul 1957 (+)a     military
Luis Arturo González López        27 Jul 1957 - 24 Oct 1957 (+1965)  (acting)

Military Junta of Government
 -Col. Óscar Mendoza Azurdia                                         military, chair 
 -Col. Gonzalo Yurrita Nova                                          military 
 -Col. Roberto Lorenzana Salazar  24 Oct 1957 - 26 Oct 1957          military        

Presidents of the Republic
Guillermo Flores Avendaño         27 Oct 1957 -  2 Mar 1958 (+1982)  military (acting) 
José Ramón Ydígoras Fuentes        2 Mar 1958 - 31 Mar 1963 (+1982)  PRDN
Alfredo Enrique Peralta Azurdia   31 Mar 1963 -  1 Jul 1966 (+1997)  military (2)
Julio César Méndez Montenegro      1 Jul 1966 -  1 Jul 1970 (+1996)  PR
Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio         1 Jul 1970 -  1 Jul 1974 (+2003)  military, MLN
Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García      1 Jul 1974 -  1 Jul 1978 (+2009)  military, MLN/PID
Fernando Romeo Lucas García        1 Jul 1978 - 23 Mar 1982 (+2006)  military, PID/PR/CAO  
José Efraín Ríos Montt            23 Mar 1982 -  8 Aug 1983          military (3)
Óscar Humberto Mejía Víctores      8 Aug 1983 - 14 Jan 1986          military (4)  
Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo      14 Jan 1986 - 14 Jan 1991          DCG
Jorge Antonio Serrano Elías       14 Jan 1991 -  1 Jun 1993          MAS (5)
Ramiro de León Carpio              6 Jun 1993 - 14 Jan 1996 (+2002)  n/p              
Álvaro Enrique Arzú Yrigoyen      14 Jan 1996 - 14 Jan 2000          PAN
Alfonso Antonio Portillo Cabrera  14 Jan 2000 - 14 Jan 2004          FRG
Óscar Rafael Berger Perdomo       14 Jan 2004 - 14 Jan 2008          GANA   
Álvaro Colom Caballeros           14 Jan 2008 -                      UNE

Notes
(1) Col. Carlos Castillo Armas was chairman of the 2nd Junta of Government to 1 Sep 1954 and then president of the Republic. In rebellion was head of the Provisional Government from 16 Jun 1954 to 2 Jul 1954, when joined the newly constituted four-member Junta of Government, becoming its chairman. By 1 Sep 1954 the only Junta members were Castillo, Trinidad and Monzón.
(2) Styled head of Government to 5 May 1966 and then head of State instead of president.
(3) Gen. Ríos Montt was chairman of the Military Junta of Government to 9 Jun 1982 and then president of the Republic. The other members of the three-man Military Junta were Gen. Horacio Egberto Maldonado Schaad and Col. Francisco Luis Gordillo Martínez.
(4) Styled head of State instead of president.
(5) Although president Jorge Antonio Serrano abandoned the office on 1 Jun 1993 and vicepresident Gustavo Adolfo Espina Salguero was the constitutionally designated successor, the Presidential office was formally declared vacant by the Congress only on 5 Jun 1993; by the time of this resolution, Espina Salguero had been declared disqualified by the Tribunal Constitucional, and the Congress, in its declaration of vacancy, took this declaration into account and declared the Vicepresidential office vacant as well. The Congress elected Ramiro de León Carpio as president on 5 Jun 1993, to take office on 6 Jun.

Presidential candidates, 1970-2003

1970 1st Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio       (+2003)  military, MLN                     
     2nd Mario Fuentes Pieruccini                  PR
     3rd Jorge Lucas Caballeros           (+197?)a military, DCG 

1974 1st Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García    (+2009)  military, MLN/PID
     2nd José Efraín Ríos Montt                    military, FNO
     3rd Ernesto Paiz Novales                      military, PR

1978 1st Fernando Romeo Lucas García      (+2006)  military, PID/PR/CAO          
     2nd Alfredo Enrique Peralta Azurdia  (+1997)  military, MLN
     3rd Ricardo Peralta Mendez                    military, CUN

1982 1st Ángel Aníbal Guevara Rodríguez            military, FDP
     2nd Mario Augusto Sandoval Alarcón   (+2003)  MLN/PNR
     3rd Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre               UNO

1985 1st Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo              DCG
     2nd Jorge Carpio Nicolle             (+1993)a UCN
     3rd Jorge Antonio Serrano Elías               PDCN/PR

1990 1st Jorge Antonio Serrano Elías               MAS
     2nd Jorge Carpio Nicolle             (+1993)a UCN
     3rd Alfonso Cabrera Hidalgo	           DCG 

1995 1st Álvaro Enrique Arzú Yrigoyen              PAN
     2nd Alfonso Antonio Portillo Cabrera          FRG 
     3rd Fernando Andrade Díaz-Durán               AN    

1999 1st Alfonso Antonio Portillo Cabrera          FRG 
     2nd Óscar Rafael Berger Perdomo               PAN
     3rd Álvaro Colom Caballeros                   ANN                  

2003 1st Óscar Rafael Berger Perdomo               GANA
     2nd Álvaro Colom Caballeros                   UNE 
     3rd José Efraín Ríos Montt                    FRG

2007 1st Álvaro Colom Caballeros                   UNE
     2nd Otto Pérez Molina                         PP
     3rd Alejandro Giammattei Falla                GANA

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