Guatemalan presidential term referendum, 1935

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A referendum on the presidential term of Jorge Ubico was held in Guatemala on 25 May 1935. If approved, it would allow Ubico to override the constitutional limitation on serving two consecutive terms in office. It was reportedly approved by 99.85% of voters. [1]

Jorge Ubico President of Guatemala

Jorge Ubico Castañeda, nicknamed Number Five or also Central America's Napoleon, was a Guatemalan dictator. A general in the Guatemalan army, he was elected to the presidency in 1931, in an election where he was the only candidate. He continued his predecessors' policies of giving massive concessions to the United Fruit Company and wealthy landowners, as well as supporting their harsh labor practices. Ubico has been described as "one of the most oppressive tyrants Guatemala has ever known" who compared himself to Adolf Hitler. He was removed by a pro-democracy uprising in 1944, which led to the ten-year Guatemalan Revolution.

Contents

Background

In 1934, a group of civilians feared that Ubico intended to establish a dictatorship. They planned to assassinate him, and drew in military allies who had lost administrative posts or commands under his rule. However, they were betrayed from within, and many were executed as a result. [2] Six months later, Ubico convened a Constitutional Assembly with the aim of changing the constitution to allow him to remain in office until 1943. [2]

Congress received thousands of (allegedly) spontaneous and identical petitions from 246 municipalities, which all called for the constitution to be amended to extend his term in office. Ubico then called a referendum on the issue. [3]

Results

ChoiceVotes%
For834,16899.85
Against1,2270.15
Invalid/blank votes-
Total835,395100
Source: Grieb

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References

  1. ↑ Grieb, Kenneth J (1996) "El gobierno de Jorge Ubico" Historia general de Guatemala 1993-1999. Guatemala: Asociación de Amigos del País, Fundación para la Cultura y el Desarrollo. Volume 5, p54
  2. 1 2 Schlewitz, Andrew James (1999) The rise of a military state in Guatemala, 1931-1966 New York: New School University. Unpublished dissertation, p319
  3. ↑ Yashar, Deborah J (1997) Demanding democracy: reform and reaction in Costa Rica and Guatemala, 1870s-1950s Stanford: Stanford University Press, p42

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