[News Figures] From Pro-China Leftist Outsider to President of Guatemala, 'Arevalo'

Left-Leaning Candidate Bernardo Arevalo's Surprise Victory
59% Vote Share... From Low Polls to 2nd Place in First Round
"The Country Should Be Led by the People, Not Corrupt Forces," Appeals

Bernardo Ar?valo (64), a pro-China left-leaning anti-corruption activist candidate regarded as a political 'outsider,' has drawn attention by winning a surprise victory in the Central American Guatemala presidential election held on the 20th (local time).

According to The Washington Post (WP) and others, Ar?valo, a candidate from the 'grassroots movement,' secured a tentative victory with 59% of the vote based on a 96% count in the runoff election held that day. Sandra Torres (67), a leading candidate from the 'Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza (UNE)' who had led the first round of voting held in June, was defeated with 36% of the vote.

On the 20th (local time), Bernardo Arevalo, a left-leaning anti-corruption activist candidate elected as the President of Guatemala [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

Ar?valo's victory has been widely described as a true 'comeback drama.' He had ranked low in various opinion polls conducted before the first round of voting on June 1. However, in the first round, he rose to second place with 15.51% of the vote, following Torres (21.10%), and ultimately won in the runoff.

During his campaign, Ar?valo emphasized an anti-corruption message in Guatemala, where corruption, poverty, and illegal migration have been chronic social issues. Since the end of the civil war in 1996, corruption has deepened among some high-ranking officials in the political, military, and economic sectors, leading the electorate to support Ar?valo, who called for reform. Guatemala is currently facing severe security instability and a food crisis. He stressed at official events, "We have long been victims and prey of politicians. Voting is to make it clear that it is the people of Guatemala, not the corrupt, who lead this country."

The New York Times (NYT) evaluated, "Ar?valo's victory signifies a turning point for Guatemala, a longtime U.S. ally and the country with the largest number of migrants heading to the United States."

WP reported, "A political outsider promising to eradicate corruption won by a landslide," but added, "Although Guatemalans voted, there were doubts not only about whether he would win but also whether he could govern." After the first round, the Guatemalan prosecutor's office attempted to suspend Ar?valo's party activities to prevent him from participating in the runoff, causing turmoil amid pressure from the United States and the European Union (EU) for a fair election. The Guatemalan government's final official results are expected within a few days.

[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Born in 1958, Ar?valo is the son of Juan Jos? Ar?valo, Guatemala's first democratically elected president who served from 1945 to 1951. At the time of his birth, his father was living in exile in Montevideo, Uruguay, due to the aftermath of the 1954 coup in Guatemala. Because of his father's exile, Ar?valo spent his childhood moving between several Central American countries, including Venezuela, Mexico, and Chile.

Returning to Guatemala as a teenager, Ar?valo graduated from high school there, studied sociology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, and earned a doctorate from Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the 1980s, served as an ambassador in the 1990s, and was deputy foreign minister from 1994 to 1995. He began his political career in 2017 and entered Congress as a member of the House of Representatives in 2019.

Upon Ar?valo's inauguration, Guatemalans will entrust the government to a left-wing administration for the first time in 16 years since former President ?lvaro Colom (2008?2012), who was elected in 2007. Ar?valo has promised to strengthen investment in education and healthcare, stabilize housing for the poor, and enhance security.

However, there are also opposing movements within the Guatemalan government against Ar?valo, making it crucial how quickly he can take control of the government.

After his victory was confirmed, Ar?valo posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, "Long live Guatemala!"

Meanwhile, right-wing candidate Torres, who dreamed of becoming Guatemala's first female president, failed to win voters' support again, following the 2015 and 2019 elections. Torres had also advanced to the runoff as the first-place candidate in the 2019 presidential election but was defeated.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.