President Bernardo Arévalo presented this Tuesday, April 23, the results of the first 100 days of his mandate, in an event in which he announced a 25 percent reduction in his income, which currently totals Q148,838 per month, but at From the moment this provision comes into effect, the head of state will receive Q111,628.5 each month, since the reduction will be made on the net salary.
- Base salary: Q33 thousand 588
- Incentive bonus: Q250
- Representation expenses: Q115 thousand
- Total income: Q148 thousand 838
- Total discounts: Q14 thousand 363.46
- Liquid income: Q134 thousand 474.54
On April 19, the international network Deutsche Welle (DW) published an article describing that President Bernardo Arévalo was the Latin American president who earned the most money, and that he even received the equivalent of 46 minimum wages in his country.
Now with the reductions announced this Tuesday, President Arévalo is the second highest-earning president of Latin America, only behind the president of Uruguay, Luis Lacalle, who has a salary of US$22,289.
On a stage set up next to the Ministry of the Interior, on Paseo de la Sexta and 14 streets in zone 1 of the capital, the president highlighted in his speech several achievements during his administration and stressed that the reduction of income also applies to Vice President Karin Herrera.
Before announcing the salary reduction, Arévalo highlighted the work in education, security, dialogue and the fight once morest corruption.
He then recalled that one of the commitments made was the reduction of the presidential salary.
“Today I fulfill this promise, I have signed the letter through which I request the secretary of the SAAS – Secretariat of Administrative and Security Affairs of the Presidency -, Mr. Iván Carpio, to reduce the presidential salary by 25%,” said the president. .
“This president complies, the vice president has done the same and has signed a similar letter making this request,” he assured.
Then he highlighted: “This president and future ones will leave a saving of more than Q1 and a half million to the State during our period of office, more when the savings from the salaries of the Vice Presidency are added.”
Arévalo added that “it is a clear sign that we are aware of the need to reduce the gaps in our country and that excesses of privilege are not the path we have chosen.”
Among the promises of the plan for the first 100 days of government, Arévalo contemplated the “review of high salaries in the Government.”
The document indicates: “Following my own example, that as president I will reduce my salary, the remunerations of high-level officials will be reviewed to eliminate unjustified privileges and the practice of making politics a business and not a service.”
A source from the SAAS reported that the 25% discount becomes effective as of June 1 and that money will go to the budget of that Secretariat.
How much does the president earn?
Data with information from the SAAS
- Base salary Q33 thousand 588
- Incentive bonus Q250
- Representation expenses Q115 thousand
- The president’s total income is Q148,838 monthly, from which Q14,363.46 is subtracted from the discount, the president receives Q134,474.54.
Reduction
- According to the Presidency, the 25% reduction is on the total net income, so now the president will have Q37,209.5 less monthly.
- The total monthly income was Q148,838, but now with the 25% discount it is Q111,628.5
How much does the vice president earn?
Vice President shared how much Vice President Karin Herrera receives per month.
- Base salary of Q23,787 per month
- A professional bonus of Q375
- Q250 bonus
- Representation expenses Q112 thousand; The document does not report discounts, so Herrera receives Q136,412 per month.
Reduction
- According to the Vice Presidency, the 25% reduction is on the total income, so now the vice president will have Q34,103 less monthly.
- Now, The monthly income of Q136 thousand 412 with the 25% discount will be Q102 thousand 309.
The Minister of Defense, Henry David Saenz Ramos, regarding the reduction in the president’s salary, indicated that he still does not know if there will be instructions from the president to extend this provision to the ministers.
While the Minister of Social Development, Abelardo Pinto, reported that there is no request for a reduction in his salary for now, but he believes that a review must be carried out.
Job
Other themes
President Bernardo Arévalo in his speech for the 100 days of government referred to other issues.
He said that they came to government knowing that the challenges were many, and one of these, “perhaps the most important,” is the fight once morest corruption.
“We have maintained that public funds in the past fed corrupt political structures, and today I am certain that those structures, that perverse minority, fattened their pockets and tried to perpetuate a system that rewarded their immorality at the expense of health, education and the development of the people of Guatemala,” he noted.
“They won’t be able to do it anymore. Clean each drawer; However, it has not been easy, order, cleanliness is not achieved overnight, and we are walking between traps and precipices,” he stated.
He said that they put the election of departmental governors on the table, “we gave them visibility and opened a more participatory process.”
He highlighted the work once morest corruption and in total they have filed 34 complaints for this scourge.
He then stated: “Today, some of those actors, such as the Public Ministry of Consuelo Porras, who use their position to intimidate their critics and to attack and try to weaken from their trench of impunity the project that the people of Guatemala have chosen for their future”.
He warned: “We will not rest until we achieve the removal of this threat to democracy through legal means.”
On the issue of security, he indicated that they have dismantled 39 criminal structures, of which 22 were dedicated to extortion.
According to Arévalo, the attack on extortion and other crimes has allowed a 13% reduction in homicides so far in 2024 compared to the same period in 2023.
He also highlighted the cooperation of the United States for development and the European Union, with whom they have signed a bilateral agreement of understanding that opens the door so that agreements can continue to be negotiated with countries such as France or Spain.
MP is pronounced
After the presentation of the Government’s results, the Public Ministry issued a statement in which it described President Arévalo’s statements as “malicious and undemocratic.”
In the letter, the MP also said that he “regrets that in a speech in which the people of Guatemala expected to see results and actions developed for their benefit, it is used to promote political propaganda on a continuous basis.”
🗣 #Press release #MPfuerteYfirme
The Public Ministry informs the people of Guatemala: pic.twitter.com/9RH3wvQH0P
— MP of Guatemala (@MPguatemala) April 23, 2024
The MP asserted that the president’s statements “add to a series of systematic intimidating attacks.”
#Arévalo #reduce #salary #highlights #fight #corruption
