President of Guatemala

The President of Guatemala has been the usual title of the leader of Guatemala since 1851, when that title was assumed by José Rafael Carrera, who had been acting as head of government as general and Caudillo since 1840. Earlier, Guatemala had been a state within the United Provinces of Central America since 1823, before that part of the Mexican Empire under Augustin de Iturbide, and before 1821 ruled by the Captain General of Guatemala, a Spanish colonial official owing allegence to the Viceroy of New Spain and the King of Spain, back to the Spanish conquest of the region in the early 16th century.

The title of "President of Guatemala" has been used by democratically elected leaders, appointed heads of state, and leaders who took power by military coup.

List of Presidents of Guatemala

• José Rafael Carrera Turcios - 6 November, 1851 - 14 April, 1865
• Pedro de Aycinena y Piñol - 14 April, 1865 - 24 May 1865
• Vicente Cerna Sandoval - 24 May 1865 - 29 June, 1871
• Miguel García Granados Zavala - 29 June 1871 - 4 June, 1873
• Justo Rufino Barrios Auyón - 4 June, 1873 - 2 April, 1885
• Alejandro M. Sinibaldi - 2 April 1885 - 5 April 1885
• Manuel Lisandro Barillas Bercián - 6 April, 1885 - 15 March,1892
• José María Reina Barrios - 15 March 1892 - 8 February 1898
• Manuel José Estrada Cabrera - 8 February 1898 - 15 April 1920
• Carlos Herrera y Luna - 15 April 1920 - 10 December 1921
• José María Orellana Pinto - 10 December 1921 - 26 September 1926
• Lázaro Chacón González - 26 September, 1926 - 2 January, 1931
• José María Reina Andrade 2 January 1931 - 14 February 1931
• Jorge Ubico y Castañeda - 14 February, 1931 - 4 July, 1944
• Juan Federico Ponce Vaides - 4 July 1944 - 20 October 1944

(From 20 October 1944 to 15 March 1945 Guatemala was governed by a military Junta consisting of Francisco Javier Arana, Jacobo Arbenz Guzman, and Jorge Toriello Garrido)

• Juan José Arévalo Bermejo - 15 March 1945 - 15 March 1951
• Jacobo Arbenz Guzmán - 15 March 1951 - 27 June 1954
• Carlos Enrique Díaz de León - 27 June 1954 - 28 June 1954

(From 29 June 1954 to 8 July 1954 Guatemala was run by a Junta headed by General Elfego Hernán Monzón Aguirre; from then until 26 July 1957 by a Junta headed by Carlos Castillo Armas)

• Luis Arturo González López - 27 July 1957 - 24 October 1957

(From 24 October 1957 to 26 October 1957 Guatemala was ruled by a military Junta headed by Óscar Mendoza Azurdia)

• Guillermo Flores Avendaño: 27 October 1957 - 2 March 1958
• José Miguel Ramón Ydígoras Fuentes: 2 March 1958 - 31 March 1963
• Alfredo Enrique Peralta Azurdia: 31 March 1963 - 1 July 1966
• Julio César Méndez Montenegro: 1 July 1966 - 1 July 1970
• Carlos Manuel Arana Osorio: 1 July 1970 - 1 July 1974
• Kjell Eugenio Laugerud García: 1 July 1974 - 1 July 1978
• Fernando Romeo Lucas García: 1 July 1978 - 23 March 1982
• José Efraín Ríos Montt: 23 March 1982 - 8 August 1983
• Óscar Humberto Mejía Victores: 8 August 1983 - 14 January 1986
• Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo: 14 January 1986 - 14 January 1991
• Jorge Antonio Serrano Elías: 14 January 1991 - 31 May 1993
• Gustavo Adolfo Espina Salguero: 1 June 1993 - 5 June 1993
• Ramiro de León Carpio: 6 June 1993 - 14 January 1996
• Álvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen: 14 January 1996 - 14 January 2000
• Alfonso Antonio Portillo Cabrera: 14 January 2000 - 14 January 2004
• Óscar Berger Perdomo: 14 January 2004 (incumbent)

In the presidential election of 9 November 2003, no candidate succeeded in securing a majority of votes; top vote getters Óscar Berger and Álvaro Colom faced each other in a run-off election on 28 December, with Berger winning 54% of the vote. See: Guatemala election, 2003.

See also: History of Guatemala