The difficult political situation experienced in Guatemala after President Jimmy Morales ordered the expulsion of the UN anti-corruption chief, Iván Velásquez, on Sunday, shows that this Central American country is a fragile state.
Costa Rican international analyst Carlos Murillo states that this is the result of situations that started long ago in Guatemala.
What is happening in Guatemala reflects to a large extent the political situation in Latin America. Growing corruption, penetration of organized crime in the political system, a marked populism and to some extent President Morales is a result of that populism,”
said the analyst.
Last Friday, Velásquez and Attorney General Thelma Aldana began the process to suspend political immunity from President Morales, who is suspected of illegal transactions in the FCN-Nación party (right), which brought him to power in 2015.
This could have been the cause of the decision by the president, which was stopped by the Constitutional Court and criticized by many sectors. Some of his ministers, such as the Minister of Health and the Minister of Labor step down from their positions.
According to Murillo, that decision by Morales is a desperate measure to avoid being prosecuted for the accusations they have against him.
It is important to remember that the president’s son and brother, José Manuel Morales and Samuel Morales, are suspected of several corruption crimes and that they will meet justice on August 30th at the beginning of the trial.
Although Guatemala’s situation should not affect Costa Rica directly, it should be seen as a message to pay attention to what may be happening or could happen in the event that organized crime gets into the political system.