Bernardo Arévalo de León

Born

1958-10-07

Birthplace

Montevideo, Uruguay

Biography

César Bernardo Arévalo de León ([beɾˈnaɾ.ðo aˈɾe.βa.lo]; born 7 October 1958) is a Guatemalan diplomat, sociologist, writer, and politician serving as the 52nd and current president of Guatemala since 2024. A member and co-founder of the Semilla party, he previously served as a deputy in the Congress of Guatemala from 2020 to 2024, as ambassador to Spain from 1995 to 1996 and as deputy minister of foreign affairs from 1994 to 1995. Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, during the exile of his father, former president Juan José Arévalo, he graduated from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a bachelor of arts in sociology. In the 1980s, Arévalo joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he held several key positions, including deputy minister of foreign affairs and ambassador to Spain. Following his diplomatic service, he joined Interpeace, where he served as an advisor on conflict resolution. Later, he graduated from Utrecht University with a doctorate in philosophy and social anthropology. Arévalo returned to Guatemala as a result of the 2015 protests, where he co-founded an analysis group that later became the Movimiento Semilla political party. He was elected as a member of Congress in the 2019 election, then as general secretary of the party in 2022. Arévalo was nominated as a presidential candidate in the 2023 general election and, surprisingly qualified for the second round, triggering accusations of electoral fraud and a judicial investigation into his party and its members, threatening the election results, which was widely condemned nationally and internationally. He defeated former first lady Sandra Torres in the second round on 20 August 2023. His electoral victory made him the first son of a former Guatemalan president to be elected and the second individual not born in Guatemala to hold office. The Organization of American States stepped in to support and facilitate the presidential transition. Arévalo was sworn in on 15 January, following a lengthy delay in the certification of the results by the outgoing Congress.