During the six months of President Bernardo Arévalo’s administration, 19 changes have been made in key positions in ministries and other public agencies; among them, the ministers of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing (CIV), Health and Environment.
These changes include deputy ministers, the Chief of the Defense Staff, the Secretary of Social Communication of the Presidency and a rearrangement in the Commission once morest Corruption, as well as departmental governors who were initially appointed and hours later removed from office.
At the beginning of his administration, Arévalo appointed Jazmín de la Vega as Minister of Communications, and in May, following differences with the president, she was dismissed. Félix Alvarado was appointed in her place. In this ministry alone, in addition to the minister, the deputy ministers Karla Alvarado and Jorge Luis Contreras were dismissed, as well as two directors of Roads and middle management personnel. In addition, Francis Argueta, director of Civil Aeronautics, was dismissed.
In Health, Óscar Cordón and Sandra Aparicio occupied the ministerial office. There were also internal movements in the vice-ministries of Hospitals and Regulation, Surveillance and Health Control.
María José Iturbide held the position of Minister of the Environment until early April, while Haroldo Sánchez was promoted from Secretary of Social Communication of the Presidency to specific advisor, and Santiago Palomo was appointed in his place. Meanwhile, Alejandra Carrillo left the Institute of the Victim following a resolution by the Constitutional Court.
Worry
The changes in the ministerial leadership mean that there is a review of the capabilities and monitoring of functions, but it is worrying that most of the changes are in institutions relevant to public safety, says political scientist Ricardo Barrientos.
“There is a clear concern that these changes are not generating a perception of stability for the population in the pace of implementation and even in the planning itself,” he said.
He added that changes in authorities can also affect the strategic reading of institutions, because each cadre has its own way of understanding a problem and solving it.
Jorge Wong, an independent political analyst, said that the movements that have occurred in Arévalo’s cabinet, or in departments of the Executive Branch, are understandable.
“The question is who is right to make these changes. Whether there were flawed processes that the new people have found, or whether perhaps the new people were absorbed by the work ethic that they brought from other administrations,” he said.
The political scientist believes that to a certain extent the movements in these departments are reasonable.
CONTENT FOR SUBSCRIBERS
These are the dismissals, resignations and changes between entities
- Alejandra Carrillo, Victims’ Institute
- Santiago Palomo, Commissioner once morest Corruption
- Hermelindo Choz Soc, Head of the National Defense Staff
- Maria Jose Iturbide, Ministry of Environment
- Haroldo Sánchez, Secretary of Social Communication of the Presidency
- Luis Ayala Vargas, Deputy Minister of Energy and Mines
- Edvin Danilo Mazariegos, Deputy Minister of Sustainable Development
- Oscar Cordon, Minister of Health
- Sandra Aparicio, Minister of Health
- Linda Valencia, Deputy Minister of Hospitals
- César Conde, Deputy Minister of Health Regulation, Surveillance and Control
- Jasmine de la Vega, Minister of Communications
- Karla Alvarado, Deputy Minister of Administration and Finance
- Jorge Luis Contreras, Deputy Minister of Transport
- Francis Argueta, director of Civil Aeronautics
- Gilberto Guerra, Director of Roads
- Stuard Rodríguez, director of the Guatemalan Migration Institute
- Melinton Stuart Solorzano Rivera, Governor of Quiché
- Mauricio Boanerjes Sazo, Governor of Izabal
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