August 21, 2023
No. 277
The Republic of Guatemala held a runoff election for president and vice president on August 20. According to the vote count completed by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal on the same day, presidential candidate César Bernardo Arévalo de León and vice presidential candidate Karin Larissa Herrera Aguilar of the Movimiento Semilla party won the election with over 58 percent of the vote. President-elect Arévalo delivered a victory speech at a press conference that evening.
The smooth completion of the presidential election once again demonstrated Guatemala’s democratic accomplishments and its people’s respect for democracy. The government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) sincerely congratulates the government and people of Guatemala, President-elect Arévalo, and Vice President-elect Herrera. It has also sent its felicitations through the R.O.C. (Taiwan) Embassy in Guatemala.
President-elect Arévalo visited Taiwan in 1994 while serving as deputy minister of foreign affairs and has a profound understanding of the diplomatic bonds between the two countries. On numerous occasions during this year’s election campaign, he publicly and privately expressed support for maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Taiwan and Guatemala enjoy a cordial and robust diplomatic alliance. Based on shared values such as democracy and freedom and a long-standing friendship, the government of Taiwan will work with the new government of Guatemala to build on this solid foundation, deepening exchanges and cooperation across all domains and enhancing the well-being of the peoples of both nations. (E)