About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

1 1 (March 6, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govekum0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service gramliiaisinorning the iegislative debate since 1914 March 6, 2023 Guatemala: An Overview Guatemala, the most populous country in Central America, has strived to consolidate its democracy since the 1990s. It has faced many political and social challenges, as well as widespread corruption, impunity, and human rights abuses. Traditionally, the United States and Guatemala have had close relations, with friction at times over certain issues, such as democratic governance and migration. Government corruption, migration, and food security in Guatemala have been long-standing concerns for some in Congress. Figure I - Guatemala Man Source: Congressional Research Service. PolitiaI Stuation Guatemala has a long history of internal conflict and violence, including a 36-year civil war (1960-1996). For most of that time, the Guatemalan military held power and brutally repressed citizens' human rights, with an estimated death toll of over 200,000 people and forcible disappearance of some 45,000 (Indigenous people made up the majority of these victims). In 1986, Guatemala established a civilian democratic government, although military repression continued. In December 1996, then- President Alvaro Arzd (1996-2000) and the Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unit (URNG), with support from the United Nations mission in Guatemala, signed peace accords to end the conflict, but goals put forth in the accords (e.g., eradicating extreme poverty, integrating indigenous Guatemalans, bolstering institutions) remain unfulfilled. Successive governments have failed to strengthen Guatemalan justice systems to punish perpetrators of grave human rights abuses and massive corruption; Indigenous Guatemalans continue to face poverty and social exclusion. Democratically elected civilian governments have led Guatemala for over 30 years, but democratic institutions remain fragile, largely due to high levels of state capture by elites. In 2007, Guatemala requested that the United Nations establish the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) to assist Guatemala in investigating, prosecuting, and dismantling illegal groups and clandestine structures. The United States provided more than $44.5 million in funding for CICIG over the course of the commission's 12-year mandate (2007-2019). CICIG and Guatemalan attorneys general secured convictions of dozens of high-level officials, including a former president and vice president for graft and customs fraud. CICIG's work angered many elites, including then- President Jimmy Morales (2016-2020), himself under investigation, who refused to extend its mandate. Guatemala at a Glance Capital: Guatemala City Area: 42,000 square miles, about the size of Tennessee Population: 19.1 million (2023, IMF est.) Ethnic Composition: Mestizo (mixed Amerindian-Spanish; called Ladino in local Spanish) 62.8%, Maya 34.9%, Xinka (Indigenous, non-Maya) 2.1%, Garifuna 0.1%, foreign 0.2% (2018 est., INE) GDP/Per Capita GDP: $91.3 billion/$4,880 (2022, current prices, IMF) Key Import Partners: United States (32.5%), China (18.1%), Mexico (10.2%), El Salvador (3.3%) (2022, TDM) Key Export Partners: United States (31.7 %), El Salvador (13 %), Honduras (9.8%), Nicaragua (6.3%) (2022, TDM) Sources: International Monetary Fund (IMF); National Statistics Institute of Guatemala (INE), Trade Data Monitor (TDM). Current President Alejandro Giammattei, with the right- wing Vamos party, won Guatemala's 2019 presidential elections with 58% of the vote. However, as his term has progressed, thousands of Guatemalans have protested widespread concerns about inflation and continued official corruption. Human rights groups have reported attacks against the press and harassment of former anti-corruption prosecutors and judges, more than 30 of whom have fled the country under threat of arrest since 2021. Giammattei's term is set to end in January 2024; he is constitutionally barred from seeking reelection. 2023 Eections Guatemala is scheduled to hold presidential, legislative, and municipal elections on June 25, 2023. Presidential candidates include Sandra Torres (former first lady to President Alvaro Colom) and Zury Rfos (daughter of former military President Efrain Rfos Montt). Guatemala's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) has rejected the candidacies of Maya Indigenous left-wing candidate Thelma Cabrera and her running mate, former human rights

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most