 Arana 's support began to be solicited by the landed elite , who felt threatened by Arévalo 's reforms . Arana , who was not initially inclined to get involved with politics , began to make occasional statements against the government . In the 1948 parliamentary election , he backed a number of opposition candidates , all of whom were defeated . By 1949 the National Renovation Party and the PAR were both openly hostile to Arana , while a small fragment of the Popular Liberation Front split off to support him . The leftist parties decided to back Árbenz instead , as they believed that only a military officer could defeat Arana . 
