Vamos (Guatemala)

Vamos (Guatemala)
Name	Vamos
Native name	Vamos
Country	Guatemala
Founded	2017
Leader	Alejandro Giammattei
Political position	Centre-right to right-wing
Headquarters	Guatemala City
Colors	Blue, White
Seats in congress	(variable)
Website	(official)

Vamos (Guatemala) is a Guatemalan political party established in 2017 that rose to national prominence after its candidate won the 2019 presidential election. The party became closely associated with President Alejandro Giammattei and has since competed in municipal, legislative, and presidential contests across Guatemala. Vamos positions itself within a centre-right to right-wing spectrum and engages with regional and international actors in Central America, while influencing domestic debates over security, public administration, and social policy.

History

Vamos emerged from registration efforts in the late 2010s amid a proliferation of new parties in Guatemala's multiparty landscape, joining contemporaries such as Movimiento Semilla, Partido de Avanzada Nacional, and Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza. Founders drew on political figures with backgrounds linked to Guatemala City, Escuintla, and other departments. The party formalized its structure to contest the 2019 general election, aligning with electoral rules administered by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (Guatemala). Its rise coincided with broader regional shifts involving actors like Nayib Bukele, Juan Orlando Hernández, and Jimmy Morales, reflecting trends in Central American political realignment. After winning the presidency in 2019, Vamos navigated relations with the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala and national institutions including the Public Ministry (Guatemala) and the Constitutional Court of Guatemala.

Ideology and platform

Vamos articulates a platform combining public security priorities, administrative reform, and market-friendly measures, drawing comparative reference to policy stances of parties such as Partido Popular (Spain), National Action Party (Mexico), and elements of Republican Party (United States). The party emphasizes strengthening law enforcement agencies like the National Civil Police (Guatemala), coordinating with regional security initiatives involving Central American Integration System frameworks, and pursuing investment policies compatible with organizations such as the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank. Vamos also references social programs and infrastructure investment similar to initiatives seen under governments like Luis Lacalle Pou and Carlos Alvarado Quesada, while maintaining conservative positions on issues informed by ties to civic groups active in Guatemala City and evangelical networks familiar with leaders like Jimmy Morales.

Organization and leadership

Leadership within Vamos has been personified by high-profile figures including Alejandro Giammattei as the most visible leader, supported by party secretariats and local committees operating in departmental capitals such as Quetzaltenango, Antigua Guatemala, and Chimaltenango. The organizational model mirrors structures used by parties like Partido Liberal (Guatemala) and Frente de Convergencia Nacional with national assemblies, candidate nomination processes registered with the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (Guatemala), and coordination with municipal authorities in places like Villa Nueva and Mixco. Party officials have engaged with international interlocutors including delegations from Organization of American States missions and bilateral contacts from embassies such as Embassy of the United States in Guatemala in diplomatic and electoral observation contexts.

Electoral performance

Vamos achieved its most significant victory in the 2019 presidential race, securing the executive branch in a contest also featuring candidates from Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza, Concertación Nacional, and Cambio. In legislative elections, Vamos has competed for seats in the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala against longstanding parties like Patriota and Movement for the Liberation of Peoples. At municipal level, the party has fielded mayoral candidates in municipalities including Guatemala City, Sololá, and Escuintla, winning a variable share of alcaldías and municipal councils. Electoral outcomes have been shaped by alliances, campaign financing regulations enforced by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (Guatemala), and voter mobilization patterns similar to those observed in elections involving figures like Otto Pérez Molina and Roxana Baldetti.

Policies and positions

On security, Vamos advocates tougher measures against organized crime and drug trafficking, supporting coordination with entities such as the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) historically, though its stance has varied in relation to CICIG’s mandate and to actions by the Public Ministry (Guatemala). Economic positions emphasize attracting foreign direct investment through incentives compatible with standards from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and promoting public-private partnerships similar to programs in Panama and Costa Rica. In social policy, Vamos typically aligns with conservative perspectives on family and religiously influenced civil society groups present in Antigua Guatemala and Quetzaltenango, while proposing reforms to health and social assistance systems that reference models used by regional governments such as El Salvador and Honduras.

Controversies and criticism

Vamos has faced criticism and controversy regarding its relationships with existing power structures, debates over the role of anticorruption institutions like CICIG and the Public Ministry (Guatemala), and allegations raised in media outlets based in Guatemala City. Opponents from parties such as Movimiento Semilla and Unidad Nacional de la Esperanza have accused Vamos of policy retrenchment and of prioritizing elites linked to municipal and business networks in departments like Escuintla and Quetzaltenango. Legal challenges and public protests have involved civil society organizations, human rights groups, and international observers including representatives from the United Nations and the Organization of American States, focusing on transparency, rule-of-law concerns, and institutional reforms. Ongoing scrutiny continues in legislative debates within the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala and in courts such as the Constitutional Court of Guatemala.

Category:Political parties in Guatemala