[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 17, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S141-S142]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               GUATEMALA

  Mr. WELCH. Madam President, the inauguration of Bernardo Arevalo as 
President of Guatemala shortly after midnight on January 15 was a 
triumph for the people of Guatemala. Despite corrupt forces in the 
outgoing government, the Congress, and the Office of the Attorney 
General--who abused their authority in a flagrant attempt to subvert 
the result of a free and fair election that President Arevalo won 
overwhelmingly--in the end, Guatemala's democracy was preserved.
  I want to congratulate the Guatemalan people for their courage and 
perseverance, especially the indigenous Mayan population who have 
suffered deprivation and indignity under successive governments whose 
officials cared far more about enriching themselves than improving the 
lives of the country's most vulnerable. It is long past time for 
Guatemala's indigenous leaders to have a central role in the national 
government.
  I also want to commend the Biden administration, in particular U.S. 
Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power, 
Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols, Charge d'Affaires Patrick 
Ventrell, and the other U.S. Embassy staff, who in the months leading 
up to the election and late into the chaotic night of January 14 until 
Arevalo was finally sworn in, used a combination of diplomacy, 
sanctions, and advocacy to support a peaceful democratic transition of 
power. Without their sustained diplomatic engagement and the strong 
support of the international community, it is likely that the so-called 
Pact of the Corrupt would have prevailed in destroying Guatemala's 
fragile democracy.
  President Arevalo faces immense challenges. Late last year, in an 
attempt to ensure that if he came to power he would be unable to govern 
effectively, the Congress slashed the national budget for the social 
programs and economic reforms necessary to carry out his anti-
corruption, anti-poverty, pro-justice, and accountability vision for 
the country. The Guatemalan people expect him to deliver on his 
campaign promises, but the very forces that sought to prevent him from 
taking office have made clear that they will do every possible to 
prevent him from governing.
  Despite these formidable obstacles, Bernardo Arevalo's remarkable 
ascendency to the Presidency offers Guatemala and the United States an 
opportunity that has not existed for generations. Hundreds of thousands 
of impoverished Guatemalans have fled their country, risking their 
lives in search of safety and a better life in the United States. In 
President Arevalo, we finally have a partner of integrity with whom we 
can focus on addressing the root causes of migration.
  For generations, Guatemala's elites, including business and political 
leaders, have profited from a corrupt system at the expense of the best 
interests of the country. Tax revenues are a fraction of what they 
should be. Large areas of the country lack basic public services. 
Millions of Guatemalan children are malnourished and have no access to 
higher education. The justice system has been used to perpetuate the 
unjust and inequitable status quo.
  If the Pact of the Corrupt had succeeded, Guatemala's business 
community would have also paid dearly. The choices were, and remain, 
stark. They can either help create the conditions

[[Page S142]]

for new investment and economic growth or share responsibility for 
putting the country on a course leading to the scale of criminality and 
economic decline that have engulfed Nicaragua and Venezuela. With 
American companies relocating from China back to this hemisphere and 
with a Guatemalan President who believes in transparent and accountable 
governance, there is an opportunity for new investment and business 
partnerships in Guatemala unlike any time in recent memory. It is time 
for Guatemala's business leaders to embrace President Arevalo's vision 
for the country and to become real partners in the Guatemala's 
development.
  I had the privilege of traveling to Guatemala in December as part of 
a bicameral congressional delegation led by Senator Tim Kaine. Our 
purpose was to show our support for Guatemala's democracy and for a 
peaceful transfer of power. We left Guatemala convinced that, while the 
outcome was far from certain, the people of that country would defend 
their democracy to the end. That is what they have done, and while the 
daunting challenges of governing lie ahead, they and President Arevalo 
deserve our congratulations and our strong support.

                          ____________________