President of Guatemala

The president of Guatemala (Presidente de Guatemala), officially titled President of the Republic of Guatemala (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.

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.

The State of Guatemala (1839-1847)
Note: Regarding the numbering of the terms, several reliable sources state that Jimmy Morales is the 50th president

Ten-Year Revolution (1944-1954)
The authoritarian regime of Jorge Ubico, which persisted since 1931, was overthrown by a revolution known as the  "Ten Years of Spring" on 4 July 1944. After more than a month of mass student and trade union protests, Ubico resigned and fled to Mexico, transferring powers to his First Deputy, Federico Ponce Vaides. Presidential elections were held on 4 July 1944, which declared Ponce as the president. However, the opposition rejected the results, and as a result, on 20 October 1944, a group of young officers overthrew Ponce, creating a military-civilian government called the Revolutionary Government Junta. A new constitution was adopted and elections were held, which resulted in the victory of Juan José Arévalo in 1944 and Jacobo Árbenz in 1950. During this period, Guatemala underwent numerous social and economic reforms, including large-scale land reform.

Military Governments (1954-1958)
Upon presenting his resignation, Jacobo Árbenz left Colonel Carlos Enrique Díaz, head of the Armed Forces, in charge of the presidency. Diaz's first measure was the integration of a provisional government board which he led alongside Colonels Elfego H. Monzón and José Ángel Sánchez. On 29 June, Díaz was forced to resign, leading to Monzón succeeding as the new chairman of the board. Monzón would assemble a new governing board and incorporate Colonel Castillo Armas, Juan Mauricio Dubois, Jose Luis Cruz Salazar, and Enrique Oliva.

The new board would dissolve after a popular plebiscite held on 10 October 1954 would allow Colonel Castillo Armas to assume the presidency. Under Armas' mandate, several reforms implemented during the Guatemalan Revolution were suspended, and political opponents, as well as unions and peasant organizations, were persecuted. Armas' assassination on 26 July 1957, would prompt Congress to appoint Luis Arturo González as acting president and condition him to call for elections within four months.

The planned election was held on 20 October 1957, but the results were later nullified due to allegations of fraud. President González would resign and cede power to a provisional governing board led by Óscar Mendoza Azurdia, Gonzalo Yurrita Nova, and Roberto Lorenzana. The new board would govern for two days before Congress would appoint Colonel Guillermo Flores Avendaño as acting president. President Avendaño would call for elections in January 1958.