GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — President of Guatemala Bernardo Arevalo says opposition in Congress and the Attorney General’s Office has made it difficult to implement the change he seeks for the Central American nation, which he found “half-destroyed” when he took office nearly six months ago.
The politician from the progressive Seed Movement party was elected in August after voters angry about widespread corruption and the leaders’ inability to tackle it made a decisive choice for change, elevating his long candidacy to the next level .
Central America’s most populous country and the region’s largest economy continues to struggle with poverty and violence that has driven hundreds of thousands of Guatemalans to migrate to the US
“What has influenced me the most is seeing how corruption has affected the executive capacity of all the country’s institutions; the level of neglect and dysfunction of the institutions is appalling,” Arévalo said in an interview with The Associated Press on Thursday.
Arévalo and his Seed Movement party posed a threat to those who had long held power in Guatemala. Guatemalan prosecutors tried to prevent Arévalo from coming to power in early January.
Arévalo said he understands that Guatemalans want quick responses to the promises he made in his political campaign, and that delaying them will leave the public frustrated.
The promises were aimed at cleaning up corruption and expelling Attorney General Consuelo Porras from the Public Prosecution Service, although Porras remains in office today.
Porras was legally selected by unpopular former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei for a second four-year term ending in 2026.
It has criminalized political opponents such as the Seed Movement party, journalists and banned former prosecutors and judges who reported being prosecuted for investigating corruption cases.
Porras has been sanctioned by the US government and 40 other countries for obstructing the fight against corruption and undermining the country’s democracy. Arévalo said he would not remove her by force.
“We have a fundamental commitment to the democratic system and we will not resort to non-democratic measures to save democracy,” Arévalo said. The most extreme voices have called on Arévalo to use the army or police to oust Porras.
Arévalo also holds Porras responsible for delaying investigations in several corruption cases. His government has filed more than 100 complaints.
Porras has denied involvement in corruption cases and refused to resign from her position.
“People would like to see the corrupt punished,” Arévalo said. “We are taking the first step (report)… but it all stops at the Public Prosecution Service, where no investigation into complaints takes place.”
Arévalo has made addressing public infrastructure shortcomings in Guatemala a priority and said his government has made some progress. “People need to see that needs are being met, that health care and education are improving,” he said.
His government has renovated more than 4,000 schools and implemented public infrastructure projects in many of those areas.
He said he plans to meet with outgoing Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador before he leaves office in October, and with new President Claudia Sheinbaum.
