Anti-corruption candidate Bernardo Arévalo wins Guatemala presidential election


Bernardo Arévalo, a sociologist who unexpectedly won a slot in Guatemala's presidential runoff election on an anticorruption platform, was elected president Sunday in a landslide over former first lady Sandra Torres. With more than 98% of the ballots counted, Arévalo had 58 percent to Torres' 36%. President Alejandro Giammattei, who was barred from seeking re-election, congratulated Arévalo and invited him to begin and orderly transition of power after the vote is certified.
Arévalo, 64, is the son of former President Juan José Arévalo, the country's first democratically elected leader, who is revered for creating Guatemala's social security system and taking other steps to benefit the poor after he took office in 1945. His successor, Jacobo Árbenz, was ousted in a U.S.-backed right-wing military coup in 1954. Bernardo Arévalo was born in exile in Uruguay.
"A moderate who criticizes leftist governments like that of Nicaragua," Arévalo "is nevertheless viewed in Guatemala's conservative political landscape as the most progressive candidate to get this far since democracy was restored in the country in 1985 after more than three decades of military rule," The New York Times reported.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Arévalo's apparent victory "is almost certainly distressing politicians who have been enjoying impunity for corruption, along with some members of the monied elite and their allies in organized crime," The Associated Press added. There is some concern that judicial shenanigans will attempt to prevent Arévalo from taking office on Jan. 14.
Top prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche, who is listed on a U.S. register of corrupt officials, threatened to dissolve Arévalo's newly formed Movimiento Semilla (Seed Movement) before the election and said he may still bar from office or arrest members of the party. Attorney General Consuelo Porras is also on the U.S. corrupt-officials list. Several candidates viewed as a threat by Guatemala's ruling elite were disqualified before the June election, and Arévalo's second-place showing in that first round appeared to take everyone by surprise .
Torres was first lady from 2008 to 2012, but she divorced her husband, Álvaro Colom, in 2011 so she could run for president herself. This was her third time coming in second place.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Why Gen Z in Nepal is dying over a state social media ban
IN THE SPOTLIGHT A crackdown on digital platforms has pushed younger Nepalis into increasingly violent clashes with government forces
-
Fly like you know what you're doing with these 5 tips for healthy air travel
The Week Recommends Yes to stretching. Even more yesses to hydration.
-
September 9 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include the shadow of Jeffrey Epstein, Russia's answer to peace talks, and tougher citizenship questions
-
House posts lewd Epstein note attributed to Trump
Speed Read The estate of Jeffrey Epstein turned over the infamous 2003 birthday note from President Donald Trump
-
Supreme Court allows 'roving' race-tied ICE raids
Speed Read The court paused a federal judge's order barring agents from detaining suspected undocumented immigrants in LA based on race
-
Voting: Trump's ominous war on mail ballots
Feature Donald Trump wants to sign an executive order banning mail-in ballots for the 2026 midterms
-
South Korea to fetch workers detained in Georgia raid
Speed Read More than 300 South Korean workers detained in an immigration raid at a Hyundai plant will be released
-
DC sues Trump to end Guard 'occupation'
Speed Read D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb argues that the unsolicited military presence violates the law
-
RFK Jr. faces bipartisan heat in Senate hearing
Speed Read The health secretary defended his leadership amid CDC turmoil and deflected questions about the restricted availability of vaccines
-
White House defends boat strike as legal doubts mount
Speed Read Experts say there was no legal justification for killing 11 alleged drug-traffickers
-
Epstein accusers urge full file release, hint at own list
speed read A rally was organized by Reps. Ro Khanna and Thomas Massie, who are hoping to force a vote on their Epstein Files Transparency Act