Guatemala's highest court backs the Public Prosecutor's Office's actions if they do not interrupt the elections

Guatemala City.- The Constitutional Court of Guatemala, the highest court in the Central American country, approved this Thursday the operations of the Public Ministry (Prosecutor's Office) carried out in the elections for the renewal of the same court, as long as they do not interrupt the ongoing elections. The decision of the Constitutional Court, which met in an emergency session this afternoon, ordered that the electoral process be maintained where more than 30,000 lawyers are authorized to vote to elect a new magistrate of the same court for the period 2026-2021. The ruling on the matter was signed by magistrates Roberto Molina Barreto, Héctor Pérez Aguilera, Leyla Lemus Arriaga, Claudia Paniagua Pérez, and Dina Ochoa Escibá. The plenary of the Guatemalan Supreme Court had convened this same afternoon on an emergency basis after the Public Ministry raided the voting centers due to an alleged complaint in a case that is under reserve, according to the Prosecutor's Office itself. We recommend reading:

Election Defines a Key Magistrate

The elections this Thursday define one of the five magistrates for the next term (2026-2031) of the Constitutional Court. The other four magistrates will be elected in the coming weeks by the Guatemalan Congress, the Supreme Court of Justice, the presidency, and the University of San Carlos (state-owned). The election of magistrates is crucial for the fight against corruption in Guatemala, as local and international organizations, and Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo de León himself, have warned. The raid on the Public Ministry was recorded today with a strong security contingent, composed of police and prosecutors with weapons and balaclavas, in the two voting centers established by the Guatemalan Bar Association and Notaries in the country's capital. The prosecutor in charge of the operation, Leonor Morales, told journalists that the case is confidential and stems from a complaint received last week, without providing further details, while also announcing that the elections will continue as planned.

Arévalo's Complaint Regarding Attempts to Undermine Institutions

Morales is the same prosecutor who tried to overturn the election results of the 2023 elections that led Arévalo de León to the presidency. The official did not want to answer journalists about whether there was a conflict of interest, as one of the candidates this Thursday belongs to the Public Ministry. In the first round, at the beginning of the month, the election was won by lawyers Astrid Lemus and Luis Bermejo, who oppose the interests of the Public Ministry, according to analysts. Arévalo de León denounced the raids as a "new attempt" by the Public Ministry to "undermine institutions". Both Morales and the leadership of the Prosecutor's Office are sanctioned by the United States and the European Union under accusations of corruption.