Surprise candidate Bernardo Arevalo won the second round of Guatemala’s presidential election on Sunday, according to figures released by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) after 95% of the vote was counted, AFP reported.

Bernardo Arevalo, the new president of GuatemalaPhoto: Camilo Freedman / Zuma Press / Profimedia Images

“Fortunately, we already have an extremely important trend,” said Irma Palencia, president of the TSE, announcing that Bernardo Arevalo, who was tried to be disqualified during the election campaign, won 59% of the vote. His opponent, former First Lady Sandra Torres, had 36%, according to TSE.

Sociologist and Social Democrat deputy, 64-year-old Bernardo Arevalo is the son of President Juan Jose Arevalo (1945-1951), who left his mark on the country.

In particular, in 1945 he ended the 13-year dictatorship of the regime of Jorge Ubico, an admirer of Adolf Hitler, who introduced forced labor for the indigenous Mayan population.

Bernardo Arevalo vowed to follow the path laid by his father. “

I am not my father, but I follow the same path that he built and we will do it together,” he declared last Wednesday as he concluded his election campaign in front of hundreds of supporters gathered in the capital. (Agerpres)