The second period of ordinary sessions begins this week. The alliance that was formed at the beginning of the year to appoint two boards of directors and approve several social laws had its first breakup months ago, after the ruling party apparently did not fulfill the commitments made to the parties that supported it.
The division became evident after the allies did not approve the issues requested by the Executive: the reforms to the Organic Law of the Public Ministry, two states of calamity and a budget expansion, the latter of which is still under analysis in the Finance Commission without convincing its members.
There are four major issues that will dominate the legislative agenda in the coming months and which the deputies are seeking to have some kind of impact on.
The first of these is to maintain the interpellations of the ministers of the Interior, Foreign Affairs, Culture and Communications; the arrival of the draft of the general budget of the nation for the period 2025, the election of magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice and Courts of Appeal; and finally the election of the Board of Directors.
With this agenda, each deputy seeks to lead a group of congressmen from his or her bench and influence the votes for the upcoming discussions.
But it also shows the first internal fissures in at least eight of the 16 parliamentary groups that make up the legislature.
Factions
The National Unity of Hope (UNE) began its first session led by congressman Adim Maldonado and Inés Castillo, both against Sandra Torres, leader of the political group. In recent weeks, a dispute began over who will lead the leadership, plus the legal expulsion that Torres has won against some legislators, this made Castillo leave and with him, another group of congressmen.
Ignacio Quijada, deputy for the district of Chiquimula, said that the group votes together, although he stressed that there is a certain rift between Maldonado and Inés. “The media has published problems between deputy Inés Castillo and Adim Maldonado. But we want a single bloc to be formed,” said the congressman.
He added that both legislators are “coming to an agreement on how to manage the caucus” and that they hope that their differences will be resolved.
“The parties have their divisions due to leadership issues, but we want to have a single bloc, we want the leaders to agree so there are no divisions. We seek that unity,” said Quijada.
Discipline
Luis Aguirre remains in charge of the Cabal bench, although of the 18 members there are four deputies who on certain occasions do not vote in line and who are led by Carlos López.
Even in the two states of calamity requested by the Executive, the vote of Aguirre’s group has been linear.
“It is important for us to maintain this function – parliamentary discipline – so that team members can project themselves in the best possible way,” declared the deputy of the Cabal bloc, Manuel Archila.
The congressman said that they meet and discuss internally where they make decisions jointly and that this helps those who make up the bloc to argue the lines of decision.
Other leaderships
The most visible face of the Vamos bloc is Allan Rodríguez, the leading political force within the Legislature with its 39 congressmen.
“Unity is strength and we have always said as a bench, as a Vamos party, that if we unite we will be stronger. Obviously there is leadership, I think the head of the bench has done a perfect job, not only in uniting us, but we have worked so that unity remains,” said the deputy representing said bench, Víctor Valenzuela.
But political actors seeking more prominent roles have also begun to emerge, such as Shirley Rivera, president of Congress, and Sofia Hernández, district deputy for Huehuetenango.
This is the bloc with the most divided groups, including three deputies elected by Vamos who vote directly with the independents, elected by Semilla.
Without negotiator
While in other parties other political figures are seeking to gain control, in the independent bloc the opposite is happening. Visible faces such as Samuel Pérez and Andrea Villagrán were worn down by the failures of the Executive.
José Carlos Sanabria, the closest to Bernardo Arévalo, leads a group of legislators. But a new leadership also emerged, described as the most radical, led by deputy Raúl Barrera.
Asked if they lost leadership, Villagrán responded that the country’s democratic system is going from a “regime of corruption to a democratic regime, but this implies a transitional process where we still see a lot of resistance in the system.” He said that the alliance is “fluctuating” depending on some issues, which is why he described it as normal.
“We must remember that the Semilla bench, the ruling bench, is not the majority in Congress and that means that we have to sit down and negotiate. Political negotiation in the good sense of the word and not as it was previously used in the form of corruption,” he said.
Other groups that are facing the same situation are the VOS group, led by Orlando Blanco and Jairo Flores. José Chic and Karina Paz decided to leave the group due to the lack of internal agreements.
Added to this are Azul and Valor, where there are also differences.
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The interpellations
In the coming months, impeachment trials will also become a showcase for legislators who will question ministers of state.
Last week, the interpellation of the head of the Interior Ministry, Francisco Jiménez, was initiated by the deputy of the Valor bloc, Sandra Jovel.
The issue will expose the knowledge or, on the contrary, lack of knowledge of the congressmen who will want to figure and maintain a leadership in the coming months.
After Jiménez’s meeting, the meeting of Foreign Minister Carlos Raúl Martínez will immediately follow. This was requested by several legislators.
There are also still dates pending for the ministers of Culture and Sports and Communications, Infrastructure and Housing to attend the plenary session.
The courts
The Law on Nominating Committees establishes in its article 24 – Submission of lists – that the nominating committees must send the files and all the corresponding documentation, at least twenty calendar days before the end of the term for which the officials were elected. In the case of the magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Courts of Appeal, they will have to take office on October 13.
This point on the agenda also becomes a bargaining chip for legislators. In 2019, the process was paralyzed after the deputies failed to reach agreements to elect the new magistrates, and it was not until this year that the election took place.
Budget
By September 2 at the latest, the Ministry of Finance will have to submit the 2025 Budget project to the Congress of the Republic. In the midst of this discussion, the Finance Committee of this body is also analyzing the request presented by President Bernardo Arévalo to expand the current budget by Q14,451 million.
Unlike in previous years, the working room is not led by the ruling party, which will make it difficult for the Executive to get approval. According to the deputies consulted, the “divorce” between the Government and Congress will be even more evident, since they insist that the negotiation channels do not work.
In the budget expansion, it is the representative of the Commitment, Renewal and Order (Creo) bloc, Luis Contreras, who lobbies with the district representatives in favor of the government supporters.
Directive
Along with the budget discussion, the last item for the deputies is the election of the new Board of Directors. This year, the ruling party won no posts.
The next Directive could be contested by deputies from parties such as Cabal and UNE.
According to legislators, coalitions will be formed on this issue and other figures will emerge to lead the organization.
Little progress
Jorge Wong, an independent analyst, said that the interpellations will continue since this is a way of monitoring the ministers, but it also creates wear and tear on the government. “There is a pending issue of reform to the electoral law, it is an issue that the deputies should be discussing, but heatedly,” he said.
“I think that what is happening is just going through the motions and nothing more. It is a reactionary and unplanned legislative agenda, I think that is the problem,” added Wong.
He said that it is necessary to move forward and discuss the agenda and not give space to accusations between deputies.
Alejandro Quinteros, an independent analyst, predicts that there will be a rearrangement of forces within Congress and this will cause the second period to start slowly. “We will only see the interpellations and initiatives that were left behind,” he added.
“The rearrangement will be in view of what is to come because at the end of September and beginning of October, Congress would have to hold the votes to elect judges for the CSJ and the Court of Appeals. Also the issue of the national budget and if it is approved it should be at the end of November. I think there are two important issues, apart from that there is very little progress that can be made in regulations that come from the previous legislature,” he said.
Regarding the composition of the next Board of Directors, he said that it will depend on how the other important issues – Courts and Budget – end, since, if solid blocks are achieved, it is most likely that with this they will begin to negotiate the composition of the Board and it will be established.
Back
According to the Political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala, the second period of ordinary sessions begins on August 1 and ends on November 30. From then on, the deputies enter a recess date, although they can hold extraordinary sessions, and then return on January 14.
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