Who is Bernardo Arévalo: the “Uncle Bernie” who emerged from anonymity and became president of Guatemala due to the boredom of corruption

Son of the first democratic ruler of Guatemala, the sociologist Bernardo Arevalowho was sworn in as president at dawn Monday, went from being almost unknown to the symbol of a country’s hope tired of corruption and to trigger panic among conservative elites.

This former diplomat and also 65 year old philosopher he went to the second presidential round in June, against all odds, which he won in August against the conservative candidate allied with the ruling party with 60% of the votes, promising to persecute the corrupt.

Since then, Arévalo and his Semilla Movement party have been the target of a judicial offensive, led by the Prosecutor’s Office, which the social democrat claims was tasked by the political-business elite with preventing his rise to power.

With a calm personality, He raised his tone to denounce that attack as an attempted “coup” against him and received the support of the international community and, in his country, young people and indigenous communities.

A “tortuous” process.

Arévalo described his rise to power as a “tortuous” process. due to judicial persecution, but promised to “close this dark era of corrupt co-optation” that has affected the country for “more than two decades”.

Put an end to 12 years of right-wing governments, he replaced Alejandro Giammatteiwhich Arévalo’s followers accuse of being part of what they call the “pact of the corrupt”.

His father’s legacy rests on his shoulders, Juan José Arevalo (1945-1951), democratically elected after the so-called “October Revolution”. he put an end to decades of dictatorships.

At his father’s commandconsidered the best president in the history of Guatemalaand Jacobo Árbenz’s progressive government was called the “democratic spring” (1944–1954), with major social reforms.

But Árbenz, promoter of agrarian reform, He was overthrown in 1954 in a coup executed by the CIA, ending Guatemala’s democratic decade, known as “the country of eternal spring” due to its climate.

Seventy years later, Washington defended the son of former president Arévalo in the face of persecution from the Prosecutor’s Office, which managed to disqualify his “Semilla” party accusing him of irregularities in its formation.

Evoking a new “spring” for Guatemala, Arévalo says he will follow “the same path” like his father, he fought against corruption so that the institutions worked for social development, in a country where 60% of the 17.8 million inhabitants are poor.

Some of his critics they doubt that the future president has the character of his father and they claim that he is a person Easy to manipulate.

Born in Uruguay

He was born on October 7, 1958 in Montevideo, Uruguay, where his father went into exile after the overthrow of Árbenz. Like a child He also lived in Venezuela, Mexico and Chile before arriving in Guatemala at the age of 15.

Study sociology in Israel and philosophy in the Netherlands. He was vice-chancellor in 1994-1995 and ambassador to Spain between 1995 and 1996, during the government of the late president Ramiro de León Carpio, a human rights defender.

In addition to Spanish, speaks English, French, Hebrew and Portuguese. He is an expert in conflict resolution and was elected deputy in 2019 shortly after entering politics with Semilla, which he founded together with academics and intellectuals.

“Uncle Bernie”

The young people, who call him “Uncle Bernie” and spread their messages and press conferences on social networks, especially on TikTok.

He plays chess and is a lover of jazz. He had three daughters in his first two marriages and his current wife, surgeon Lucrecia Peinado, also has three children.

“He enjoys cooking for his family, especially his children and his five grandchildren, movies and the beautiful Netflix series“A source close to him told AFP.

“He may not be a Superman (…), but he is certainly an honest man, of principles, of values, respectful of his father’s legacy and name and extremely committed to the country,” Peinado told the Prensa Libre newspaper. in August. .

In a highly conservative and religious country, Arévalo, Catholic, excluding the legalization of equal marriages or abortionbut has said it will not allow discrimination on the basis of sex or religion.