The president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, took office in January with the promise of regenerating public life in the Central American country and rebuilding institutions, with part of the justice system at the helm, eaten away by corruption. It was precisely a sector of the judiciary, led by the attorney general, Consuelo Porras, that first tried to torpedo Arévalo’s election and then stopped his inauguration. Now, when 100 days of Government have just passed, the progressive president has proposed to dismiss the person in charge of the Public Ministry through parliamentary means. That is, modifying the current law, which protects her position until 2026.
This step is important, essentially, for two reasons. To begin with, Porras and his associates continue to operate in the shadows to maintain what is known in Guatemala as the “corrupt pact,” a political, judicial and business plot that accelerated an antidemocratic drift during the Administration of then President Alejandro. Giammattei. And, secondly, Arévalo needs to clear the way to be able to govern and promote the reforms that he promised, both in the field of democratic regeneration and in the economic field.
The enormous expectations generated by his electoral victory are a reflection of society’s will for change, but at the same time they represent a debt to the Guatemalans that the president must pay quickly to avoid premature wear and tear.
In recent months, there has been no shortage of attempts to renew the composition of the Public Ministry. The diplomat and sociologist, expert in conflict resolution, who won the elections by surprise, summoned the attorney general twice. But she found it impossible to establish a channel of communication. In one, the jurist did not attend the meeting and in the other she left a few minutes later. Porras has been sanctioned by the United States since 2021 and was included on the State Department’s list of “corrupt and undemocratic actors.” Last February, the European Union also accused her of “undermining democracy” and conspiring against the rule of law.
Although the attorney general is the most visible face of the system’s decay, the network that Arévalo faces is much broader. It includes a sector of economic power in the country’s capital, but also in rural territories it has slowed down the participation of indigenous peoples in the Government. Added to this is that the president does not have a solid alliance in Parliament, and the initiatives of his group, made up of 23 independent deputies out of 160, are insufficient to carry out an ambitious program. Therefore, it is urgent that the president, who faces a real obstacle course, unlocks the lock of corruption that has paralyzed Guatemala.
#Obstacle #Guatemala