Politics
Conventional Long Form Name: Republic of Guatemala
Capital City: Guatemala City
Type of Government: Constitutional Democratic Republic
Date of Independence: September 15, 1821
National Holiday(s): Independence Day, 15 September
Chief of State: Otto Perez Molina
Head Of Government: Otto Perez Molina
Capital City: Guatemala City
Type of Government: Constitutional Democratic Republic
Date of Independence: September 15, 1821
National Holiday(s): Independence Day, 15 September
Chief of State: Otto Perez Molina
Head Of Government: Otto Perez Molina
Otto Perez Molina
Executive Branch: President with council of ministers appointed by president
Legislative Branch: Unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (158 seats; members elected through a party list proportional representation system)
Judicial Branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of 13 magistrates including the court president and organized into 3 chambers)
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed forces and police by law cannot vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day
Ambassador to US: Jose Julio Alejandro Ligorria Carballido
Embassy Location: Washington D.C.
U.S. Ambassador: Charlise Keeling
U.S. Embassy Location: Avenida Reforma, Guatemala City
UN Representative: Luis Fernando Carrera Castro
Legislative Branch: Unicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica (158 seats; members elected through a party list proportional representation system)
Judicial Branch: Supreme Court of Justice or Corte Suprema de Justicia (consists of 13 magistrates including the court president and organized into 3 chambers)
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; note - active duty members of the armed forces and police by law cannot vote and are restricted to their barracks on election day
Ambassador to US: Jose Julio Alejandro Ligorria Carballido
Embassy Location: Washington D.C.
U.S. Ambassador: Charlise Keeling
U.S. Embassy Location: Avenida Reforma, Guatemala City
UN Representative: Luis Fernando Carrera Castro
Symbolic Description of Flag: three equal vertical bands of light blue (hoist side), white, and light blue, with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal (the national bird) representing liberty and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 1821 (the original date of independence from Spain) all superimposed on a pair of crossed rifles signifying Guatemala's willingness to defend itself and a pair of crossed swords representing honor and framed by a laurel wreath symbolizing victory; the blue bands represent the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea; the white band denotes peace and purity.
National Symbols: Quetzal
International Disputes: annual ministerial meetings under the Organization of American States-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures continue to address Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and the Caribbean Sea; Guatemala persists in its territorial claim to half of Belize, but agrees to Line of Adjacency to keep Guatemalan squatters out of Belize's forested interior; both countries agreed in April 2012 to hold simultaneous referenda, which was scheduled for 6 October 2013, to decide whether to refer the dispute to the ICJ for binding resolution, though this has been suspended indefinitely; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States
Refugees: Undetermined
IDP's: Undetermined
Stateless Persons: Undetermined
Human Trafficking: n/a
Illicit Drugs: major transit country for cocaine and heroin; in 2005, cultivated 100 hectares of opium poppy after reemerging as a potential source of opium in 2004; potential production of less than 1 metric ton of pure heroin; marijuana cultivation for mostly domestic consumption; proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area for drugs (particularly for cocaine); money laundering is a serious problem; corruption is a major problem
International Disputes: annual ministerial meetings under the Organization of American States-initiated Agreement on the Framework for Negotiations and Confidence Building Measures continue to address Guatemalan land and maritime claims in Belize and the Caribbean Sea; Guatemala persists in its territorial claim to half of Belize, but agrees to Line of Adjacency to keep Guatemalan squatters out of Belize's forested interior; both countries agreed in April 2012 to hold simultaneous referenda, which was scheduled for 6 October 2013, to decide whether to refer the dispute to the ICJ for binding resolution, though this has been suspended indefinitely; Mexico must deal with thousands of impoverished Guatemalans and other Central Americans who cross the porous border looking for work in Mexico and the United States
Refugees: Undetermined
IDP's: Undetermined
Stateless Persons: Undetermined
Human Trafficking: n/a
Illicit Drugs: major transit country for cocaine and heroin; in 2005, cultivated 100 hectares of opium poppy after reemerging as a potential source of opium in 2004; potential production of less than 1 metric ton of pure heroin; marijuana cultivation for mostly domestic consumption; proximity to Mexico makes Guatemala a major staging area for drugs (particularly for cocaine); money laundering is a serious problem; corruption is a major problem