This week in Congress, the Ministers of the Interior and Foreign Affairs, Francisco Jiménez and Carlos Ramiro Martínez, respectively, will have to give their accounts before the plenary session. They are the first two members of Bernardo Arévalo’s cabinet to face impeachment.
Jiménez acknowledges that the interpellation is a tool that deputies have, but he believes that doing so after six months in office is too soon. He also questioned the criteria by which he is being summoned.
“I think that impeachment in six months is a bit extreme, but I don’t know what Congress’s motivations are with regard to me or our administration, but we will answer the questions that are obviously pertinent within the framework of inter-institutional, legislative and executive respect,” said the Minister of the Interior.
He said that he is working with his team of deputy ministers and directors on the pertinent information that may be requested on Thursday. Jiménez’s questioning was requested by deputy Sandra Jovel, from the Valor bloc, due to the “high crime rates.”
“We are considering this interpellation as a form of accountability and it will allow us to have a platform to communicate with the deputies, to respond to the questions about the work we have done during these six months,” he added.
On the other hand, Martínez will face three interpellations requested by more than 10 deputies from the Valor, Vamos, Nosotros, Unionista, Azul, Elefante and Bien parties. This was derived from Guatemala’s vote in favor of Palestine in the United Nations Organization.
The foreign minister simply stated that “it is a legal obligation to appear before Congress and answer questions from the deputies.”
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The Secretary of Communications of the Presidency, Santiago Palomo, asserted that the government does not doubt the efficiency and performance of its officials and that if the deputies’ doubts are legitimate and technical, the questions should be agile and precise.
He also mentioned, at the press conference on Monday, July 22, that executive officials have attended more than a thousand summons to Congress.
“We respect, of course, the right of the deputies to oversight, but we also hope that they respect the resources of the people of Guatemala and allow the officials to return to their jobs soon,” he said.
In some of the summonses in recent months, various deputies have pointed out that the head of one of the Executive’s portfolios is summoned and they excuse themselves at the last minute or send deputy ministers or directors of the units.
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