| Post: | President |
| Body: | the Republic of Guatemala |
| Insignia: | Coat of arms of Guatemala.svg |
| Insigniasize: | 100px |
| Insigniacaption: | Coat of arms of the President |
| Flag: | Guatemala Presidental Flag.svg |
| Flagsize: | 125px |
| Flagcaption: | Presidential flag |
| Incumbent: | Bernardo Arévalo |
| Incumbentsince: | 15 January 2024 |
| Member Of: | Cabinet |
| Department: | Office of the President of Guatemala National Security Council |
| Style: | Most Excellent Mr. President of the Republic Mr. President |
| Residence: | Casa Crema |
| Seat: | Guatemala City |
| Status: | Head of state Head of government |
| Appointer: | Supreme Electoral Court |
| Termlength: | Four years, non-renewable |
| Constituting Instrument: | Guatemalan Constitution |
| Salary: | 146,950 GTQ monthly ($18,863 as of May 2023)[1] |
| Inaugural: | Mariano Rivera Paz |
| Deputy: | Vice President of Guatemala |
| Flagborder: | yes |
The president of Guatemala (Spanish; Castilian: Presidente de Guatemala), officially titled President of the Republic of Guatemala (Spanish; Castilian: 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.
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:
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.
Article 183 of the Constitution, confers the following duties and competencies to the president:
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.
Note: Regarding the numbering of the terms, several reliable sources state that Jimmy Morales is the 50th president[2] [3] [4]
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Political party | Elected | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 1 | Mariano Rivera Paz | 3 December 1839 | 25 February 1842 | Conservative | — | |||
| 2 | José Venancio López | 25 February 1842 | 14 May 1842 | Independent | — | |||
| 3 | Mariano Rivera Paz | 14 May 1842 | 14 December 1844 | Conservative | — | |||
| 4 | Rafael Carrera | 14 December 1844 | 16 August 1848 | Conservative | — | |||
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Political party | Elected | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 4 | Rafael Carrera | 14 December 1844 | 16 August 1848 | Conservative | — | |||
| 5 | Juan Antonio Martínez | 16 August 1848 | 28 November 1848 | Conservative | — | |||
| 6 | José Bernardo Escobar | 28 November 1848 | 1 January 1849 | Conservative | — | |||
| 7 | Mariano Paredes | 1 January 1849 | 6 November 1851 | Independent | — | |||
| 8 | Rafael Carrera | 6 November 1851 | 14 April 1865 | Conservative | — | |||
| 9 | Pedro de Aycinena y Piñol | 14 April 1865 | 24 May 1865 | Conservative | — | |||
| 10 | Vicente Cerna Sandoval | 24 May 1865 | 29 June 1871 | Conservative | — | |||
| 11 | Miguel García Granados | 29 June 1871 | 4 June 1873 | Liberal | — | |||
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Political party | Elected | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 11 | Miguel García Granados | 29 June 1871 | 4 June 1873 | Liberal | — | |||
| 12 | Justo Rufino Barrios | 4 June 1873 | 2 April 1885 | Liberal | 1873 1880 | |||
| 13 | Alejandro M. Sinibaldi | 2 April 1885 | 5 April 1885 | Liberal | — | |||
| 14 | Manuel Barillas | 6 April 1885 | 15 March 1892 | Liberal | — | |||
| 15 | José María Reina Barrios | 15 March 1892 | 8 February 1898 | Liberal | 1892 | |||
| 16 | Manuel Estrada Cabrera | 8 February 1898 | 15 April 1920 | Liberal | 1898 1904 1910 1916 | |||
| 17 | Carlos Herrera | 15 April 1920 | 10 December 1921 | Unionist Party | 1920 (Apr) 1920 (Aug) | |||
| 18 | José María Orellana | 10 December 1921 | 26 September 1926 | Liberal | 1921 1922 | |||
| 19 | Lázaro Chacón González | 26 September 1926 | 12 December 1930 | Unionist Party | 1926 | |||
| — | Baudilio Palma | 13 December 1930 | 17 December 1930 | Conservative | — | |||
| — | Manuel María Orellana Contreras | 17 December 1930 | 2 January 1931 | Liberal | — | |||
| 20 | José María Reina Andrade | 2 January 1931 | 14 February 1931 | Liberal | — | |||
| 21 | Jorge Ubico | 14 February 1931 | 1 July 1944 | Progressive Liberal Party | 1931 | |||
| 22 | Juan Federico Ponce Vaides | 1 July 1944 | 20 October 1944 | Progressive Liberal Party | ||||
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.
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Political party | Elected | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 23 | Revolutionary Government Junta | 20 October 1944 | 15 March 1945 | Military | — | |||
| 24 | Juan José Arévalo | 15 March 1945 | 15 March 1951 | years | Revolutionary Action Party | 1944 | ||
| 25 | Jacobo Árbenz | 15 March 1951 | 27 June 1954 | Revolutionary Action Party / Party of the Guatemalan Revolution | 1950 | |||
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.
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Political party | Elected | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 26 | Carlos Enrique Díaz de León | 27 June 1954 | 29 June 1954 | Military | — | |||
| 27 | Elfego Hernán Monzón Aguirre | 29 June 1954 | 8 July 1954 | Military | — | |||
| 28 | Carlos Castillo Armas | 8 July 1954 | 26 July 1957 | National Liberation Movement | 1954 | |||
| 29 | Luis Arturo González López | 27 July 1957 | 24 October 1957 | Independent | — | |||
| 30 | Óscar Mendoza Azurdia | 24 October 1957 | 26 October 1957 | Military | — | |||
| 31 | Guillermo Flores Avendaño | 26 October 1957 | 2 March 1958 | Military | — | |||
| Portrait | Name | Term of office | Political party | Elected | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Time in office | ||||||
| 44 | Álvaro Arzú | 14 January 1996 | 14 January 2000 | years | National Advancement Party / Unionist Party | 1995–1996 | ||
| 45 | Alfonso Portillo | 14 January 2000 | 14 January 2004 | years | Guatemalan Republican Front | 1999 | ||
| 46 | Óscar Berger | 14 January 2004 | 14 January 2008 | years | National Solidarity Party / Grand National Alliance | 2003 | ||
| 47 | Álvaro Colom | 14 January 2008 | 14 January 2012 | years | National Unity of Hope | 2007 | ||
| 48 | Otto Pérez Molina | 14 January 2012 | 3 September 2015 | Patriotic Party / Grand National Alliance | 2011 | |||
| 49 | Alejandro Maldonado | 3 September 2015 | 14 January 2016 | Independent | — | |||
| 50 | Jimmy Morales | 14 January 2016 | 14 January 2020 | years | National Convergence Front | 2015 | ||
| 51 | Alejandro Giammattei | 14 January 2020 | 14 January 2024 | years | Vamos | 2019 | ||
| 52 | Bernardo Arévalo | 15 January 2024 | Incumbent | Semilla | 2023 | |||
See main article: 2023 Guatemalan general election.
Casa Presidencial de Guatemala