President of Guatemala

{{Infobox Political post

| post = President

| body = the
Republic of Guatemala

| native_name = {{small|Presidente de la República de 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

| image = Retrato oficial de Presidente Bernardo Arévalo.jpg

| imagesize = 200px

| incumbent = Bernardo Arévalo

| incumbentsince = 14 January 2024

| member_of = Cabinet

| department = Office of the President of Guatemala
National Security Council

| style = Most Excellent Mr. President of the Republic
{{resize|80%|(official)}}
Mr. President
{{resize|80%|(informal)}}

| residence = Casa Crema

| seat = Guatemala City

| status = Head of state
Head of government

| appointer = Supreme Electoral Court

| termlength = Four years

| termlength_qualified = non renewable

| constituting_instrument = Constitution of Guatemala (1986)

| formation = {{start date and age|1839|12|3|p=1|br=1}}

| salary = 146,950 GTQ monthly
($18,863 as of May 2023){{cite web |url=https://elperiodico.com.gt/nacion/2017/01/17/jimmy-morales-el-presidente-mejor-pagado-de-latinoamerica/ |title=Jimmy Morales el presidente mejor pagado de Latinoamérica |author=Rony Ríos|date=17 January 2017 |publisher=elPeriódico |archive-date=19 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119033553/https://elperiodico.com.gt/nacion/2017/01/17/jimmy-morales-el-presidente-mejor-pagado-de-latinoamerica/ |access-date=19 May 2018 |url-status=live}}

| inaugural = Mariano Rivera Paz

| deputy = Vice President of Guatemala

| website = {{URL|https://bernardoarevalo.presidencia.gob.gt/|www.presidencia.gob.gt}}

| flagborder = yes

}}

{{listen

|filename=La Granadera.ogg

|title=La Granadera

|description="La Granadera" is the official march of the national flag and the president of Guatemala

|filetype=OGG

|pos=right}}

The president of Guatemala ({{langx|es|Presidente de Guatemala}}), officially titled President of the Republic of Guatemala ({{langx|es|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.

Selection process

= Eligibility =

Article 185 of the Constitution, sets the following requirements to qualify for the presidency:

be Guatemalan of origin who is a citizen in good standing;
be at least 40 years old.

A person who meets the above qualifications would, however, still be disqualified from holding the office of president if the individual:

Was the leader or the head of a coup d'état, armed revolution, or similar movement, that had altered the constitutional order, and as a result of their actions became the Head of Government;
Exercised the role of President or Vice President during an election, or at any point within the presidential period in which elections are conducted.
Are relatives of the incumbent president or vice president prior to the succeeding election;
Served as a Minister within the government, for any time in the six months before the election;
Served as a member of the Armed Forces unless they are on leave or have been in retirement for at least five years before the election;
Are ministers of any religion or cult;
Are magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

= 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:

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.

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{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1IltPnpVfA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/y1IltPnpVfA| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Jimmy Morales tomó la banda presidencial como el 50° Presidente de la República de Guatemala |date=16 January 2016 |publisher=TN23 (news station, original in video)|access-date=5 April 2019 }}{{cbignore}}{{cite web |url=https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2016/01/14/el-comediante-jimmy-morales-asume-como-nuevo-presidente-de-guatemala |title=Jimmy Morales asume como nuevo presidente de Guatemala |date=14 January 2016 |publisher=CNN Español|archive-date=4 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204125804/https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2016/01/14/el-comediante-jimmy-morales-asume-como-nuevo-presidente-de-guatemala/ |access-date=5 April 2019 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |url=https://elperiodico.com.gt/nacion/2017/03/17/que-le-obsequiaria-usted-este-sabado-al-presidente-jimmy-morales-en-su-48-cumpleanos/ |title=¿Qué le obsequiaría usted este sábado al presidente Jimmy Morales en su 48 cumpleaños? |author=Tulio Juárez |date=17 March 2017 |publisher=elPeriódico |archive-date=5 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190405210321/https://elperiodico.com.gt/nacion/2017/03/17/que-le-obsequiaria-usted-este-sabado-al-presidente-jimmy-morales-en-su-48-cumpleanos/ |access-date=5 April 2019 |url-status=live}}

= State of Guatemala (1839–1847) =

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center" ! rowspan="2" \|{{Abbr\|No.\|Number}} ! rowspan="2" \|Portrait ! rowspan="2" \|Name {{small\|(Birth–Death)}} ! colspan="3" \|Term of office ! rowspan="2" \|Political party ! rowspan="2" \|Elected
style="background:#cccccc" ! width="100" \|Took office ! Left office ! Time in office
style="background:MediumBlue; color:white" \|1 \| 100px \| Mariano Rivera Paz {{small\|(1804–1849)}} \| 3 December 1839 \| 25 February 1842 \| {{ayd\|1839\|12\|03\|1842\|02\|25}} \| Conservative \| —
style="background:#E6E6AA ! style="background:{{party color\|Independent politician}}"\| 2 \| 100px \| José Venancio López {{small\|(1791–1863) Acting}} \| 25 February 1842 \| 14 May 1842 \| {{ayd\|1842\|02\|25\|1842\|05\|14}} \| Independent \| —
style="background:MediumBlue; color:white" \| 3 \| 100px \| Mariano Rivera Paz {{small\|(1804–1849)}} \| 14 May 1842 \| 14 December 1844 \| {{ayd\|1842\|05\|14\|1844\|12\|14}} \| Conservative \| —
style="background:MediumBlue; color:white" \| 4 \| 100px \| Rafael Carrera {{small\|(1814–1865)}} \| 14 December 1844 \| 16 August 1848 \| {{ayd\|1844\|12\|14\|1848\|08\|16}} \| Conservative \| —

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! rowspan="2" |{{Abbr|No.|Number}}

! rowspan="2" |Portrait

! rowspan="2" |Name
{{small|(Birth–Death)}}

! colspan="3" |Term of office

! rowspan="2" |Political party

! rowspan="2" |Elected

style="background:#cccccc"

! width="100" |Took office

! Left office

! Time in office

style="background:MediumBlue; color:white" |1

President of Guatemala

Selection process

= Eligibility =

= Term Limit =

Executive powers

Vacancies and succession

Presidents of Guatemala

= State of Guatemala (1839–1847) =

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

= Liberal period (1871–1944) =

= Ten-Year Revolution (1944–1954) =

= Military governments (1954–1958) =

= Civil War period (1958–1996) =

= Contemporary period (1996–present) =

Timeline

Latest election

Notes

References