Vinicio Cerezo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vinicio Cerezo
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Official portrait, 1986
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| 40th President of Guatemala | |
| In office January 14, 1986 – January 14, 1991 |
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| Vice President | Roberto Carpio Nicolle |
| Preceded by | Óscar Humberto Mejía |
| Succeeded by | Jorge Serrano Elías |
| General Secretary of Central American Integration System | |
| In office June 29, 2017 – June 29, 2021 |
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| Preceded by | Victoria Marina Velásquez |
| Succeeded by | Werner Vargas Torres |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 26, 1942 Guatemala City |
| Political party | Guatemalan Christian Democrats |
| Spouse |
Raquel Blandón
(m. 1965; div. 2006) |
Marco Vinicio Cerezo Arévalo (born December 26, 1942) is a Guatemalan politician. He was the 40th president of Guatemala from 1986 to 1991. He also served as the leader of the Central American Integration System (SICA) from 2017 to 2021.
Contents
Early Life and Political Start
Vinicio Cerezo was born in Guatemala City. His father was a judge on the Supreme Court. In 1962, while studying at the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala (USAC), he joined student protests against the government.
In 1964, he became a member of the Guatemalan Christian Democrats (DCG). This political party was not allowed to take part in the 1966 elections. Cerezo finished his law degree from USAC in 1968. That same year, the DCG party became officially legal. He became the party's secretary in 1970.
Guatemala had a very difficult political situation at that time. Cerezo needed constant protection. In 1981, his car was attacked in the capital city. This was one of three attempts on his life.
Joining the Congress
In 1974, the DCG party joined with others to support General Efraín Ríos Montt for president. There were claims of cheating, and Ríos Montt lost the election. Cerezo was elected as a deputy (a representative) in the National Congress. The DCG became the largest opposition party with 14 seats.
In 1978, the DCG's candidate, General Ricardo Peralta Méndez, came in second place. During the next president's time in office, many DCG members were killed. The few surviving members of Congress from the party had to hide for their safety.
Cerezo continued to support opposition candidates. In 1982, he backed Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre, who lost the election. Cerezo and his supporters claimed the results were unfair.
Supporting Change
Soon after, Efraín Ríos Montt took power in a military takeover. The DCG and Cerezo first supported this change. However, when the government's actions became too harsh, Cerezo stopped his support. He demanded new elections.
In 1983, General Óscar Humberto Mejía took power in another military takeover. Cerezo carefully supported this new government. In the 1984 National Congress elections, the DCG won 21.2% of the votes. They became the largest party with 20 out of 88 seats.
Because of this success, the DCG decided to nominate Cerezo for the 1985 presidential election. He started to suggest talking with the United Guatemalan National Revolutionaries (URNG). This was a group that included the main rebel groups.
President of Guatemala (1986-1991)
In the first round of the 1985 presidential elections on November 3, Cerezo won the most votes (38.6%). In the second round on December 8, he won against Jorge Carpio with 68.4% of the votes. His party also won 51 out of 100 seats in Congress. They also won in many cities across the country.
Cerezo was the first president to be chosen by the people and the first civilian (non-military person) to take office since 1966. People had high hopes when he became president. He promised to make sure that "dark forces" would not harm public order or the country. He also promised to change Guatemala within his first 126 days.
One of his first actions was to make the Army Chief of Staff retire. He also named a new Minister of Defence. This showed his determination to lead the country.
During his time as president, Guatemala faced many challenges. There was continued violence in the country. Cerezo worked hard to bring peace. He declared Guatemala neutral in the civil wars happening in nearby El Salvador and Nicaragua. He strongly supported the idea of a Central American Parliament.
Two important meetings about Central American unity took place in Esquipulas. The second meeting in August 1987 created a plan for lasting peace. This was a very important step in bringing peace back to the region.
In September 1987, Cerezo created the National Commission for Reconciliation (CNR). In October, talks began between the URNG and the government. When these talks failed, Cerezo asked the United States for more military help. In October, Congress passed a general political amnesty, which meant people involved in past conflicts would not be punished.
Cerezo faced challenges from military groups. In 1988, an Air Force unit made demands to the government. Cerezo admitted he had to agree to some of their demands to prevent a military takeover. In August, there was a three-week general strike because of rising fuel prices.
In 1989, the political situation worsened with more violence. Another attempted military takeover failed in May. In August, a leader of the DCG party was killed. However, Cerezo promised to improve public administration and strengthen democracy. Guatemala has remained a democracy since then.
In May 1990, Cerezo's government and the URNG signed an agreement. They promised not to disrupt the upcoming elections. Cerezo then gave a positive review of his time as president. He handed power to his successor, Jorge Serrano Elías. This was the first peaceful transfer of power since 1951.
The DCG party did not do well in the 1990–91 presidential elections. However, they still won 27 seats in the National Congress.
In 1990, Cerezo invited the Russian linguist Yuri Knorozov to Guatemala. Knorozov had helped to understand Maya hieroglyphics. This was the first time the scholar could visit the ancient sites of the Maya civilization.
After Being President
After his presidency, Vinicio Cerezo became a deputy in the Central American Parliament in 1991.
In 1999, Cerezo won one of two National Congress seats for his party. He was re-elected to Congress in 2003. In the 2007 election, he lost his seat. His son, also named Vinicio Cerezo, ran for president but received less than 1% of the vote.
Vinicio Cerezo is now building a non-governmental organization (NGO) called Esquipulas. It is named after the peace plan from the Esquipulas conferences. This organization aims to further unite Central America. He also works as a political consultant.
In 2017, he was named Secretary-General of the Central America Integration System (SICA). On August 7, 2017, he was named Peace Ambassador by the Guatemalan Government. This was on the anniversary of the Esquipulas II agreements.
See also
In Spanish: Vinicio Cerezo para niños
