Presidential elections were held in Guatemala on 15 December 1921.
On the evening of 5 December 1921 a group of senior army officers entered the residence of the President Carlos Herrera y Luna and demanded his resignation. He left power in the hands of a military triumvirate. The new junta was made up of Generals José MarÃÂa Lima, José MarÃÂa Orellana and Miguel Larrave.
âÂÂWithin hours after the cuartelazo, the triumvirate declared that the incumbent Congress had been seated illegally and that, therefore, all of the AssemblyâÂÂs legislation, including the promulgation of the Constitution, had no legal basis. The pre-1921 Constitution and the Assembly that existed at the time of CabreraâÂÂs fall were reinstated; and HerreraâÂÂs First Designate, José Ernesto Zelaya, was disqualified from succeeding to the presidencyâÂÂ.
The Congress elected the provisional president of the general José MarÃÂa Orellana (Liberal Party) on 15 December 1921.
"The coup was clearly a victory for the old Liberal guard that had been loyal to Estrada Cabrera. Orellana was a personal favorite and protégé of Estrada Cabrera. ... Although it is unlikely that American interests initiated the coup, the United States assisted OrellanaâÂÂs efforts to consolidate power".