Guatemala swears in Bernardo Arévalo as president despite last-ditch effort to block election results

Incoming Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo was sworn in early Monday after a nine-hour inauguration delay caused by Congress' efforts to block him.

"Our democracy has the strength to resist and through unity and trust we can transform the political landscape in Guatemala," he added, according to Reuters.  Danielle Wallace is a reporter for Fox News Digital covering politics, crime, police and more. Story tips can be sent to danielle.wallace@fox.com and on Twitter: @danimwallace. 

Arévalo, who won August’s elections by a comfortable margin, replaced conservative politician Alejandro Giammattei as president despite Guatemala Attorney General Consuelo Porras, an ally of Giammattei, having mounted several legal efforts to place Arévalo on trial or in jail before he could take office. Those efforts included attempting to strip Arévalo and his vice president, Vice President Karin Herrera, of legal immunity and trying to suspend Arévalo’s Semilla party and annul the election, Reuters reported. 

Arévalo has promised reforms to combat the rising cost of living and violence – billed as the key drivers of migration to the United States. In his inauguration speech, Arévalo demanded for migrants crossing Guatemalan territory "dignity, respect, compassion, in the same way we will demand that Guatemalan migrants are treated abroad."