Alejandro Maldonado
| Alejandro Maldonado | |
|---|---|
| Official portrait, 2015
Official portrait, 2015
| |
| 49th President of Guatemala | |
| In office 3 September 2015 – 14 January 2016 | |
| Vice President | Alfonso Fuentes |
| Preceded by | Otto Pérez Molina |
| Succeeded by | Jimmy Morales |
| 14th Vice President of Guatemala | |
| In office 14 May 2015 – 3 September 2015 | |
| President | Otto Pérez Molina |
| Preceded by | Roxana Baldetti |
| Succeeded by | Alfonso Fuentes |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
| In office 6 June 1993 – 14 January 1996 | |
| President | Ramiro de León Carpio |
| Preceded by | Gonzalo Menéndez |
| Succeeded by | Eduardo Stein |
| Minister of Education | |
| In office 1 July 1970 – 1 July 1974 | |
| President | Carlos Arana Osorio |
| Preceded by | Carlos Martínez Durán |
| Succeeded by | Guillermo Putzeys |
| Additional positions Deputy of the Central American Parliament In office 27 January 2016 – 14 January 2020 Serving with Alfonso Fuentes Soria President Jimmy Morales Preceded by Álvaro Colom Succeeded by Jimmy Morales Constituency Former President of Guatemala Member of the Court of Constitutionality of Guatemala In office 14 April 2006 – 14 May 2015 Nominated by Congress of Guatemala Preceded by Nery Saúl Dighero Herrera Succeeded by Gloria Patricia Porras In office 14 April 1996 – 14 April 2001 Nominated by Supreme Court of Justice Preceded by Edmundo Vásquez Martínez Succeeded by Rodolfo Rohrmoser In office 9 June 1986 – 14 April 1991 Nominated by Vinicio Cerezo Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Josefina Vargas de Machado First Vice President of the Congress of Guatemala In office 14 January 2005 – 14 January 2006 Serving with Roxana Baldetti and Leonel Rodríguez President Jorge Méndez Herbruger Preceded by Rubén Darío Morales Veliz Succeeded by Oliverio García Rodas Deputy of the Congress of Guatemala In office 1 July 1966 – 1 July 1970 1 July 1984 – 1 July 1986 14 January 2004 – 14 April 2006 Constituency National List | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre 6 January 1936 Guatemala City, Guatemala |
| Party | National Liberation Movement (Before 1978) National Renewal Party (1978–1990) Unionist Party (2002–2006) Independent (2006–present) |
| Other political affiliations |
National Opposition Union (1982) |
| Spouse | Ana Fagianni de Maldonado |
| Cabinet | Cabinet of Alejandro Maldonado |
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Alejandro Baltazar Maldonado Aguirre (born 6 January 1936) is a Guatemalan statesman who served as the president of Guatemala following the Congress' acceptance of the resignation of President Otto Pérez Molina on September 3, 2015.[1]
He was elected as vice president by Congress on May 14, 2015, after his predecessor, Roxana Baldetti, resigned amid allegations of corruption. Before becoming vice president, he served as a constitutional judge, congressional deputy, ambassador to the United Nations, and political leader, including a failed presidential bid in 1982.[2][3] He was Minister of Education from 1970 to 1974 and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1995 to 1996.
Early life and political activities
Born in Guatemala City, Maldonado graduated from San Carlos University with a degree in law.[4]
From the 1960s onwards, he was a member of the far-right National Liberation Movement political party (Movimiento de Liberacion Nacional or MLN), alleged to have started the use of death squads against communists. He was also Minister of Education under the military regime of Arana Osorio (1970–1974) and defended Guatemala before the United Nations when the international community isolated the military regime of Lucas García (1978–1982) for its gross human rights violations.
In the 1980s, he formed the National Renewal Party and joined a coalition with Guatemalan Christian Democracy in the 1982 election. Maldonado placed third in a blatantly rigged election, which he may have won had the contest been free and fair,[5] which was followed by a military coup. In 1985, he was again a presidential candidate for his party but placed seventh out of eight candidates and had only one seat in Congress. He would continue to hold numerous public posts, including that of Foreign Minister.
Later, Maldonado served as a judge on the Constitutional Court judge on three occasions.
One week after his appointment as Vice President in May 2015, protesters sought his resignation because he had overturned the guilty verdict in the Ríos Montt trial.[6]
Public positions held
- 1956: Member of the Guatemala City Council
- 1966–1970: Congressional deputy, for the National Liberation Movement
- 1970–1974: Minister of Education (under President Arana Osorio)
- 1974–1976: Ambassador to the United Nations (New York City)
- 1978–1980: Ambassador to the United Nations (Geneva)
- 1984–1986: Deputy to the National Constituent Assembly
- 1986–1991: Magistrate of the Constitutional Court (incl. 1989–1991, President)
- 1991–1995: Ambassador to Mexico
- 1995–1996: Minister of Foreign Affairs (under President de León Carpio)
- 1996–2001: Magistrate of the Constitutional Court (incl. 1997–1998, President)
- 2004–2006: Congressional deputy, for the Unionist Party
- 2006–2011: Magistrate of the Constitutional Court (incl. 2006–2007, President)
- 2015: Vice President of the Republic
- 2015–2016: President of the Republic
Vice Presidency (2015)
Maldonado served as Vice President of Guatemala from his selection to the position following the resignation of Roxana Baldetti on May 14, 2015, until his accession as president on September 3, 2015.
Presidency (2015–2016)
Maldonado, as vice president, ascended into the presidency of Guatemala on September 3, 2015, upon the confirmation by the Congress of Guatemala of the resignation of President Otto Pérez Molina.
References
- Back to citation "Guatemala judge orders jail for ex-president Perez Molina". BBC News. 4 September 2015.
- Back to citation "Guatemala congress taps Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre VP after Roxana Baldetti resigns in wake of customs scandal". New York Daily News. May 14, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- Back to citation "Jurist Chosen as Guatemala's New VP". Latin American Herald Tribune. May 16, 2015. Archived from the original on May 20, 2015. Retrieved May 17, 2015.
- Back to citation "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-23. Retrieved 2015-09-03.
- Back to citation "Result of Vote In Guatemala Still Unclear". Washington Post. March 9, 1982.
- Back to citation Cristina Silva (May 21, 2015). "Guatemala President Resignation Scandal Sees Thousands Of Protesters Demonstrate Against Corruption". International Business Times. Retrieved May 23, 2015.