Budget 2024 and court order dominated the week in Guatemala

Guatemalan Congress excludes election of TSE judges

This work will be the responsibility of the new legislature, assured the deputy of the ruling Vamos party, explaining that they are currently preparing the list of requirements for their elected counterparts to adopt and request the agreement for 2024.

Congress suspended the extraordinary session scheduled for this Thursday due to the lack of the required quorum, and the call for an extraordinary session for tomorrow remained in place.

Friday's agenda, starting at 10:00 a.m. local time, includes the election of rapporteurs from the National Office for the Prevention of Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment as one of the selected topics.

In addition, he intends to swear in the new executive secretary and deputy of the National Council for Migrant Assistance of Guatemala (Conamigua).

Analysts pointed out on social networks that this legislative session had nothing important to do in the final hours, except for a final maneuver, and called on citizens to turn their attention to the plenary session.

As January 14 approaches and 96 of 160 new deputies will be appointed, the political forces remain behind the scenes, trying to promote the next president of this organization and the heads of the commissions.

The top figure of Guatemala's Supreme Electoral Court (TSE), Blanca Alfaro, reported the day before that the four regular judges who left the country requested 20 days of leave and would return in February.

“Neither my colleagues nor I enjoyed the holiday, because we come from 2020, when there was a pandemic, we worked but were locked in the building,” commented the president.

With the withdrawal of immunity from Irma Palencia, Gabriel Aguilera, Mynor Franco and Rafael Rojas on November 30, Congress gave the Secretary of State the green light to investigate them.

They are accused of alleged irregularities in the commissioning of the computer service to transmit the voting results.

dfm/znc