By: Staff Writer
January 9, 2024
Guatemala’s President-elect Bernardo Arévalo unveils his cabinet ahead of this Sunday’s official swearing where he will be the head of the government for the next four years.
Arévalo chose an even number of female and male Cabinet members for the first time in Guatemala’s history and looked outside his relatively young Seed Movement party to staff some of the country’s most important positions.
As the dark horse winner of last year’s election, Arévalo ran a strong anti-corruption campaign, while outshining the presumptive front runner and former first lady, Sandra Torres.
Arévalo chose Francisco Jiménez Irungaray as his interior minister. Jiménez served former President Álvaro Colóm briefly in the same position and was cited by a United Nations anti-corruption mission for alleged involvement in the improper awarding of a government contract.
Asked about Jiménez’s baggage, Arévalo said he was familiar with the allegations but noted they had been dismissed.
Carlos Ramiro Martínez, a career diplomat who has four times served as the deputy foreign affairs minister including under outgoing President Alejandro Giammattei, will take the top spot in that ministry.
What is to come of outgoing president Alejandro Giammattei’s investigation into election fraud and irregularities are unknown.
Many of Giammattei’s election fraud probes were directed at Arevalo’s campaign, including his campaign headquarters, where reams of documents and other supporting materials were collected over the past several months after the August, 2023 election.
Ahead of this Sunday’s swearing in and according to official sources, the inauguration will be attended by the King of Spain, Phillip VI, and ten other heads of state.
The Guatemalan Foreign Ministry informed that the presidents of Mexico and Chile, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and Gabriel Boric, respectively, will attend Arevalo de Leon’s inauguration.
Likewise, presidents Rodrigo Chavez of Costa Rica, Xiomara Castro of Honduras, Gustavo Petro of Colombia, Santiago Pena of Paraguay, Daniel Noboa of Ecuador, and Laurentino Cortizo of Panama, as well as the Prime Minister of Belize, Juan Antonio Briceno, and the Prime Minister of Aruba, Evelyn Weber-Croes, will also be in Guatemala.
The same source said that the foreign ministers of Taiwan, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Portugal will also attend the inauguration of Bernardo Arevalo.
The Foreign Ministry also confirmed that Luis Almagro, Secretary General of the Organization of American States will also attend.