Álvaro Colom Caballeros (; born 15 June 1951) is a Guatemalan politician who was the
President of Guatemala
The president of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de Guatemala), officially known as the President of the Republic of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de la República de Guatemala), is the head of state and head of government of Guatemala, elected to a ...
from 2008 to 2012, as well as leader of the
social-democratic
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promote s ...
Guatemala City
Guatemala City ( es, Ciudad de Guatemala), known locally as Guatemala or Guate, is the capital and largest city of Guatemala, and the most populous urban area in Central America. The city is located in the south-central part of the country, ne ...
, the son of Antonio Colom Argueta and Yolanda Caballeros Ferraté, being the fourth of five siblings. His uncle, Manuel Colom, was a mayor of Guatemala City who was killed by the
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distin ...
in 1979 just after the creation of his
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular country's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology ...
was approved. He is also the father of Antonio Colom Szarata, the
bass
Bass or Basses may refer to:
Fish
* Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species
Music
* Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range:
** Bass (instrument), including:
** Acoustic bass gui ...
player of a Guatemalan pop rock band, Viento en Contra. He and his third wife,
Sandra Torres
Sandra Julieta Torres Casanova ( born 5 October 1955) is a Guatemalan politician who was First Lady of Guatemala from 2008 to 2011 and an unsuccessful candidate for president in 2015 and 2019.
Early life and education
Sandra Julieta Torres Ca ...
, divorced in 2011 in order for his wife to be able to run in the 2011 presidential election.
After gaining a degree as an industrial engineer at the
University of San Carlos
The University of San Carlos, also referred to by its acronym USC or colloquially shortened to San Carlos, is a private, Catholic, research, coeducational basic and higher education institution administered by the Philippine Southern Province ...
(USAC) he became a businessman involved in a variety of businesses, and a
government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government ...
civil servant
The civil service is a collective term for a sector of government composed mainly of career civil servants hired on professional merit rather than appointed or elected, whose institutional tenure typically survives transitions of political leaders ...
, including being the founding General Director of the Fondo Nacional para la Paz and Vice Minister of the Economy before turning to politics. One of his businesses was a "maquila" with associate Luis Mendizabal.
Representing the UNE (Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza) in the 2003 presidential elections, he lost to Óscar Berger on 28 December 2003–the closest a
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in so ...
presidential candidate had come to winning the presidency since democracy was restored in 1985.
President (2008–2012)
He was one of the two candidates to reach the second stage of the 2007 presidential election on 9 September 2007 along with Partido Patriota candidate Otto Pérez Molina. At 10:00 p.m. local time on election night, Colom was declared the newly elected president by over five percentage points, 52.7% to 47.3%, with over 96% of polling places counted, becoming Guatemala's first
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in so ...
president in 53 years. During the presidential campaign, Colom promised to tackle
poverty
Poverty is the state of having few material possessions or little income. Poverty can have diverse < ...
in an effort to reduce the rate of crime in the country.
As President, Colom expanded social programs and access to health, education, and social security. These contributed to a rise in the living standards of the Guatemalan poor.
In 2010 he appointed
Helen Mack Chang
Helen Beatriz Mack Chang (born 19 January 1952) is a
"Murder of Myrna Mack" , Guatemala Human Rights Commission, 2011, accessed June 13, 2013
Although he is opposed to the death penalty, Colom stated that he would not pardon those sentenced to death out of respect for the country's laws, although the option to do so was granted in 2008. The last execution in Guatemala, however, took place in 2000 and was since abolished for civilian crimes in 2017.
2018 arrest
On 13 February 2018, Colom was arrested alongside all other members of his former Cabinet "as part of a local corruption investigation". On 3 August 2018, he was released from prison on a 1 million quetzal bail.