Government of Republic of Guatemala/title> <meta name = "format-detection" content = "telephone=no" /> <meta charset="utf-8"> <meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0, maximum-scale=1.0, user-scalable=no">  <meta name="author" content="Marc Schulman"> <meta name="keywords" content="Info,Comoros, History,"> <meta name="description" content="Government of Republic of Guatemala"> <link rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon" href="../../images/fav_icon.ico">  <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="all" href="../../css/bootstrap.min.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="all" href="../../css/style.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="../../css/font-awesome.min.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="all" href="../../css/responsive.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="all" href="../../css/owl.carousel.css"> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="all" href="../../plugins/flexslider/flexslider.css"> <link 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class="container"> <div class="section text_post_block"> <h2 align="center" class="section_title section_title_big">Guatemala</h2> <div> <div align="center"> <table width="65%" border="0" cellspacing="12" cellpadding="12"> <tr> <td width="33%"><div align="center"><a href="Index.html"><img src="../NationByNationIcons/Information@2x.png" width="50" height="50"></a></div></td> <td width="34%"><div align="center"><a href="Economy.html"><img src="../NationByNationIcons/Economy@2x.png" width="50" height="50"></a></div></td> <td width="33%"><div align="center"><a href="Geo.html"><img src="../NationByNationIcons/Geography@2x.png" width="50" height="50"></a></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="Index.html">Basic</a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="Economy.html">Economy</a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="Geo.html">Geography</a></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="Gov.html"><img src="../NationByNationIcons/Government@2x.png" width="50" height="50"></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="History1.html"><img src="../NationByNationIcons/History@2x.png" width="50" height="50"></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href=MILITARY.html"><img src="../NationByNationIcons/Military@2x.png" width="50" height="50"></a></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="Gov.html">Government</a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="History1.html">History</a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="MILITARY.html">Military</a></div></td> </tr> <tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="Population.html"><img src="../NationByNationIcons/People@2x.png" width="50" height="50"></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="Tourism.html"><img src="../NationByNationIcons/Tourism@2x.png" width="50" height="50"></a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="transportation.html"><img src="../NationByNationIcons/Transportation@2x.png" width="51" height="50"></a></div></td> </tr> <td><div align="center"><a href="Population.html">People</a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="Tourism.html">Tourism</a></div></td> <td><div align="center"><a href="transportation.html">Transportation</a></div></td> </table> </div> <div align="center"></div> <td width="445"> <p> </p> <h1 align="center">Government</h1> <div align="left"></div></td> </div> </div></div> <div class="container"> <p><br> conventional long form: Republic of Guatemala</p> <p>conventional short form: Guatemala</p> <p>local long form: Republica de Guatemala</p> <p>local short form: Guatemala</p> <p>etymology: the Spanish conquistadors used many native Americans as allies in their conquest of Guatemala; the site of their first capital (established in 1524), a former Maya settlement, was called "Quauhtemallan" by their Nahuatl-speaking Mexican allies, a name that means "land of trees" or "forested land", but which the Spanish pronounced "Guatemala"; the Spanish applied that name to a re-founded capital city three years later and eventually it became the name of the country</p> <p><strong>Government type</strong><br> presidential republic</p> <p><strong>Capital</strong><br> name: Guatemala City</p> <p>geographic coordinates: 14 37 N, 90 31 W</p> <p>time difference: UTC-6 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time)</p> <p>etymology: the Spanish conquistadors used many native Americans as allies in their conquest of Guatemala; the site of their first capital (established in 1524), a former Maya settlement, was called "Quauhtemallan" by their Nahuatl-speaking Mexican allies, a name that means "land of trees" or "forested land", but which the Spanish pronounced "Guatemala"; the Spanish applied that name to a re-founded capital city three years later and eventually it became the name of the country</p> <p>Administrative divisions<br> 22 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Alta Verapaz, Baja Verapaz, Chimaltenango, Chiquimula, El Progreso, Escuintla, Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Izabal, Jalapa, Jutiapa, Peten, Quetzaltenango, Quiche, Retalhuleu, Sacatepequez, San Marcos, Santa Rosa, Solola, Suchitepequez, Totonicapan, Zacapa</p> <p><strong>Independence</strong><br> 15 September 1821 (from Spain)</p> <p><strong>National holiday</strong><br> Independence Day, 15 September (1821)</p> <p><strong>Constitution</strong><br> history: several previous; latest adopted 31 May 1985, effective 14 January 1986; suspended and reinstated in 1994</p> <p>amendments: proposed by the president of the republic, by agreement of 10 or more deputies of Congress, by the Constitutional Court, or by public petition of at least 5,000 citizens; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote by the Congress membership and approval by public referendum, referred to as "popular consultation"; constitutional articles such as national sovereignty, the republican form of government, limitations on those seeking the presidency, or presidential tenure cannot be amended; amended 1993</p> <p><strong>Legal system</strong><br> civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts</p> <p>International law organization participation<br> has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction</p> <p><strong>Citizenship</strong><br> citizenship by birth: yes</p> <p>citizenship by descent only: yes</p> <p>dual citizenship recognized: yes</p> <p>residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years with no absences of six consecutive months or longer or absences totaling more than a year</p> <p><strong>Suffrage</strong><br> 18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed forces and police by law cannot vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day</p> <p><strong>Executive branch</strong><br> chief of state: President Alejandro GIAMMATTEI (since 14 January 2020); Vice President Cesar Guillermo CASTILLO Reyes (since 14 January 2020); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government</p> <p>head of government: President Alejandro GIAMMATTEI (since 14 January 2020); Vice President Cesar Guillermo CASTILLO Reyes (since 14 January 2020)</p> <p>cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president</p> <p>elections/appointments: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 4-year term (not eligible for consecutive terms); election last held on 16 June 2019 with a runoff on 11 August 2019 (next to be held in June 2023)</p> <p><strong>election results:</strong><br> 2019: Alejandro GIAMMATTEI elected president; percent of vote in first round - Sandra TORRES (UNE) 25.54%, Alejandro GIAMMATTEI (VAMOS) 13.95%, Edmond MULET (PHG) 11.21%, Thelma CABRERA (MLP) 10.37%, Roberto ARZU (PAN-PODEMOS) 6.08%; percent of vote in second round - Alejandro GIAMMATTEI (VAMOS) 58%, Sandra TORRES (UNE) 42%</p> <p>2015: Jimmy Ernesto MORALES Cabrera elected president in second round; percent of vote in first round - Jimmy Ernesto MORALES Cabrera (FNC) 23.9%, Sandra TORRES (UNE) 19.8%, Manuel BALDIZON (LIDER) 19.6%, other 36.7%; percent of vote in second round - Jimmy Ernesto MORALES Cabrera 67.4%, Sandra TORRES 32.6%</p> <p><strong>Legislative branch</strong><br> description: unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (160 seats; 128 members directly elected in multi-seat constituencies in the country's 22 departments and 32 directly elected in a single nationwide constituency by closed party-list proportional representation vote, using the D'Hondt method; members serve 4-year terms)</p> <p>elections: last held on 16 June 2019 (next to be held on June 2023)</p> <p>election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UNE 53, VAMOS 16, UCN 12, VALOR 9, BIEN 8, FCN-NACION 8, SEMILLA 7, TODOS 7, VIVA 7, CREO 6, PHG 6, VICTORIA 4, Winaq 4, PC 3, PU 3, URNG 3, PAN 2, MLP 1, PODEMOS 1; composition - men 129, women 31, percent of women 19.4%</p> <p><strong>Judicial branch</strong><br> highest courts: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of 13 magistrates, including the court president and organized into 3 chambers); note - the court president also supervises trial judges countrywide; Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitucionalidad (consists of 5 titular magistrates and 5 substitute magistrates)</p> <p>judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court magistrates elected by the Congress of the Republic from candidates proposed by the Postulation Committee, an independent body of deans of the country's university law schools, representatives of the country's law associations, and representatives of the Courts of Appeal; magistrates elected for concurrent, renewable 5-year terms; Constitutional Court judges - 1 elected by the Congress of the Republic, 1 by the Supreme Court, 1 by the president of the republic, 1 by the (public) University of San Carlos, and 1 by the Assembly of the College of Attorneys and Notaries; judges elected for renewable, consecutive 5-year terms; the presidency of the court rotates among the magistrates for a single 1-year term</p> <p>subordinate courts: numerous first instance and appellate courts</p> <p><strong>Political parties and leaders</strong><br> Bienestar Nacional or BIEN [Alfonso PORTILLO and Evelyn MORATAYA]<br> Citizen Prosperity or PC [Hernan MEJIA]<br> Commitment, Renewal, and Order or CREO [Oscar CHINCHILLA]<br> Everyone Together for Guatemala or TODOS [Cornelio GARCIA]<br> Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG-MAIZ or URNG [Walter FELIX]<br> Humanist Party of Guatemala or PHG [Rudio MERIDA]<br> Movement for the Liberation of Peoples or MLP [Vincenta JIMENEZ]<br> Movimiento Semilla or SEMILLA [Cesar AREVALO DE LEON]<br> National Advancement Party or PAN [Manuel CONDE]<br> National Convergence Front or FCN-NACION [Sandra SANDOVAL]<br> National Unity for Hope or UNE [Jorge VARGAS]<br> Nationalist Change Union or UCN [Carlos ROJAS]<br> PODEMOS [Jose LEON]<br> Political Movement Winaq or Winaq [Sonia GUTIERREZ Raguay]<br> Value or VALOR [Jose ZAMORA]<br> Vamos por una Guatemala Diferente or VAMOS [Alejandro GIAMMATTEI]<br> Victory or VICTORIA [Juan RIVERA]<br> Vision with Values or VIVA [Armando Damian CASTILLO Alvarado] </p> </div> </div> </div> <script async src="//pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/js/adsbygoogle.js"></script> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block" data-ad-format="autorelaxed" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3974071567099242" data-ad-slot="5027193468"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <footer class="footer footer_3">  <footer class="footer footer_3">  <div class="footer_bottom_part"> <div class="container clearfix"> </div> </div>  <div class="footer_bottom_part"> <div class="container clearfix"> <p>© 1996-2023 <span>Historycentral.com Inc</span>. 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