Alejandro Baltazar Maldonado Aguirre (born January 6, 1936) is a Guatemalan statesman who served as the acting president of Guatemala following the Congress' acceptance of the resignation of President Otto Pérez Molina on September 3, 2015.[1]
Alejandro Maldonado
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Official portrait, 2015
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| 49th President of Guatemala | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Acting | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre (1936-01-06) 6 January 1936 (age 88) Guatemala City, Guatemala | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Political 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signature |  | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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.
Born in Guatemala City, Maldonado graduated from San Carlos University with a degree in law.[4]
Since the 1960s, 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.[citation needed]
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]
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.
Maldonado, as vice president, became acting president of Guatemala on September 3, 2015, upon the confirmation by the Congress of Guatemala of the resignation of President Otto Pérez Molina.
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| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Vice President of Guatemala 2015 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of Guatemala Acting 2015–2016 |
Succeeded by |