Guatemala: President-Elect Bernardo Arevalo Unveils His Cabinet

January 9, 2024 Hour: 11:36 am

On Monday, Guatemala’s President-elect Bernardo Arevalo unveiled his cabinet before his inauguration on January 14th.

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“We have chosen capable and courageous individuals who take on this commitment to the nation amid this political crisis,” Arevalo stated during the presentation of his government team in the Guatemalan capital.

Arevalo’s team consists of 7 men and 7 women, including academics, journalists, and former ministers. This marks the first time that Guatemala has a gender-balanced cabinet, and Arevalo assured that they will seek to include more individuals from different cultures during his term.

Arevalo appointed experienced diplomat Carlos Martinez as Foreign Affairs Minister, Oscar Cordon as Health Minister, and Jonathan Menkos as Finance Minister.

For the first time I can remember the European Parliament rightfully deplored a right wing coup attempt against an elected leader in a Latin American country. There must be an orderly democratic transition in Guatemala this month and the wishes of the people must be respected. https://t.co/PzLabrlbX6 pic.twitter.com/LKEFpAC73V

— Clare Daly (@ClareDalyMEP)
January 3, 2024

“Recovering institutions weakened by corruption will be the greatest challenge for the new cabinet,” said the Guatemalan President-elect.

During the cabinet presentation, Arevalo was questioned about the appointment of Jazmin De la Vega as Minister of Communications due to her ties with the Guatemalan Chamber of Construction and the country’s economic elites.

However, he assured that he did not receive any pressure regarding the appointment of the officials presented on this day.

In September 2023, the Guatemalan president-elect denounced that Prosecutor Consuelo Porras was leading an attempted coup to disregard the results of the August elections.

After several months of uncertainty, this 65-year-old politician is confident that he will assume office next Sunday. He will serve as president until 2028, succeeding Alejandro Giammattei.

#FromTheSouth News Bits | Guatemala gave details of activities and agenda for the government transition between Alejandro Giammattei and Bernardo Arevalo. pic.twitter.com/xUeoT3gIl8

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish)
December 20, 2023