Guatemala's new President Arevalo sworn in, vows to combat corruption

Guatemala's new president, Bernardo Arevalo, has promised in his first speech after being sworn in to rescue his country from corruption and impunity and to stand firm against authoritarianism forces.

"We will not allow our institutions to be bent by corruption and impunity," he said early on Monday at the inauguration ceremony, which was held more than nine hours late at the National Theatre in Guatemala City.

With the presidential sash across his chest, Arevalo warned of "a wave of authoritarianism, the spread of intolerance, the restriction of dissent."


"We are facing new authoritarian phenomena such as the corrupt co-optation of state institutions by criminal groups that exploit their democratic appearance to betray the principles of freedom, equity, and justice," he said.

The 65-year-old former lawmaker, diplomat and sociologist pulled off a major upset when he swept from obscurity to win the election last August, firing up voters weary of graft in the Latin American nation.

He took the oath of office after warding off a barrage of attempts to prevent him from taking power — including by prosecutors facing accusations of graft who are closely aligned with the country's political and economic ruling class.

Tensions soared on Sunday as the opposition-dominated Congress engaged in hours of tug-of-war over the status of 23 lawmakers from Arevalo's Semilla (Seed) movement, due to the suspension of his party on fraud allegations widely seen as trumped up.

The lawmakers were finally accepted and the inauguration ceremony got underway around midnight.