Guatemala inaugurates new president after hours of delays, months of legal resistance

Bernardo Arévalo was sworn into office as Guatemala’s president early Monday morning after running on an anti-corruption platform. Arévalo was elected in August, but the inauguration faced several delays from Guatemala’s attorney general, who tried to legally block him from taking office. A former sociologist and diplomat, Arévalo is the son of the first democratically elected president of Guatemala.

What does the United States think of Arévalo? The United States and the European Union supported the election results and Arévalo’s installment as president. The United States imposed sanctions on those trying to block the results of the August election. Vice President Kamala Harris issued a statement supporting Arévalo on Monday. Secretary of State Antony Blinken also verbally supported Arévalo.

Dig deeper: Listen to Noah Burgdorf talk about some of the barriers Arévalo had to overcome on The World and Everything In It podcast.