After an eventful parliamentary session, leftist Bernardo Arévalo was sworn in as president of Guatemala.

The ceremony was delayed for nine hours due to a controversy over the inauguration of the legislators of his political force, the Semilla party.

Conservative congresspeople claimed that the new lawmakers were not in conditions to take office due to court rulings that suspended Semilla's operation.

Yesterday's delays generated condemnation from organizations such as the OAS and several foreign governments.

In addition, supporters of the new president protested outside the Guatemalan Parliament.

Moreover, invited foreign dignitaries had to leave without witnessing the swearing in, such as the King of Spain Phillip VI and Chilean President Gabriel Boric.

Finally, Mr Arévalo was sworn in after midnight and in his first speech promised to "rescue Guatemala from corruption and impunity".

The delayed inauguration comes at the end of a series of conflicts that followed Arevalo's electoral triumph last August.

Conservative parties filed lawsuits for alleged fraud that hindered and even jeopardized the transition.

This happened despite the fact that electoral authorities and several international organizations validated the transparency of the vote.

The OAS, Washington and the European Union, among others, demanded then to respect the electoral result.

Mr Arevalo, for his part, denounced being the victim of a "coup d'état in slow motion".