The president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, and the attorney general, Consuelo Porras, briefly shook hands at the beginning of this week before starting the meeting of the cabinet of ministers and government secretaries at the Presidential House. She is responsible, according to the president, for trying to engineer a coup d'état against her last year and he, the president who won office by promising to fight corruption.
Standing with a serious face, Arévalo took the hand of Porras, who, according to an official photograph, seemed to smile when greeting him while sitting in one of the chairs in the meeting room. That is so far the only image there is of them together. This happened last Monday when, for the second time, the president tried to meet with the prosecutor whom, publicly and before taking office, he announced that he would ask her to resign.
Arévalo's first attempt to talk to Porras was on January 24, but she did not attend because she said that she was not “subject to any power of the State” and that she could not discuss ongoing investigations either. So the president summoned her on January 29 to attend the weekly meeting of the presidential cabinet. She came, but left so as not to incur “illegalities.”
The attorney general explained to EL PAÍS through her press department that the president began the session with a Council of Ministers, which she noted was illegal because for that he first had to draw up a government agreement, create a special council and establish the topics to talk about. “It was a very elaborate technicality, but simple and effective. She was able to get away with the issue because with that she complied with the summons, with the organic law, but she did not expose herself either,” commented Javier Monterroso, former secretary general of the Public Ministry (MP) during the administration of Claudia Paz y Paz.
Arévalo “closed the meeting and it began as a cabinet meeting […] It did not meet the legal conditions established in the Law […] “They were made aware of the legal deficiencies that made it unfeasible to hold the specific Cabinet meeting,” Porras explained and left the room.
Shortly afterwards, at a press conference, Arévalo warned that the Government would examine the legal actions to take against the prosecutor. Later, Juan Luis Pantaleón, spokesman for the prosecutor's office, said in a video published on official social networks that Porras sent a letter to the president to invite him to a meeting on February 7 at the MP headquarters to hold “a work meeting.” to coordinate inter-institutional efforts in favor of crime victims.”
“It is difficult for me to understand the equation of the president and his team and it seems to me that this week's incidents did not provide any clarity,” says political analyst Édgar Gutiérrez. “I believe that a good presentation of the attorney general's faults before the Supreme Court and the Constitutional Court could give rise to a judicial review of the lady's actions,” indicates the former chancellor.
The day after the failed meeting between Arévalo and Porras at the Presidential House, a group of deputies presented to the plenary session of the Congress of the Republic an initiative to reform the Organic Law of the MP and thus seek the removal of the attorney general from her position. The document was sent for processing to a working committee that has 45 days to analyze, correct or suggest changes and, if positive, return it to the plenary session for discussion. Then the initiative must have at least 107 votes in favor of the 160 deputies that make up the Legislature for its approval.
Change strategy
Four analysts consulted and former Attorney General Thelma Aldana agree that the president should no longer attempt more meetings with Consuelo Porras because this will only cause political wear and tear and complying with the MP's invitation should not be his priority. In any case, she can delegate a representative or create a special council of ministers to bring her to her field.
“This is a battle that still responds to the result of the elections. She is going to entrench herself and find all the legal arguments to leave the position. If he finds a way to remove it, she will file an injunction, she will ask the Cortes for help and we will continue in this absurd judicialization for a long time,” said Roberto Alejos, former president of Congress and political analyst.
In 2022, the attorney general was included on the list of corrupt actors, known as the Engel list, by the United States Department of State. Both she and her husband are also prohibited from entering that country. “If the United States requested, for example, her extradition, that caliber of sanctions would contribute to de-escalating the moment and would cause an immediate exit,” suggested political scientist Renzo Rosal.
Porras is not welcome in office due to her attempts, described by international and national organizations, to “undermine democracy” and the judicial persecution that she unleashed in the last two years not only against Arévalo, but also against human rights defenders, journalists, judges. and magistrates. Last week, the General Secretariat of the Presidency received a resignation petition for Porras signed by 140,000 people. However, the prosecutor has made it clear that she will not resign and that she will remain at the head of the MP until she concludes in May 2026.
Asked by EL PAÍS about whether Arévalo would attend Porras' summons next week and what other actions he will take, the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency responded that they are analyzing the actions and the legal route to follow.
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