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| 2004 Protest |
The Wall Street Journal’s David Luhnow takes on recent developments as well with Guatemala’s Congress Lifts President’s Immunity Amid Corruption Scandal. David was kind enough to include some commentary from Anita Isaacs and me.
“This is probably a first in Guatemalan political history where congress shows that it is the representative of the people and responds,” said Anita Isaacs, a professor of political science at Haverford College in Pennsylvania.
and
Analysts said lifting immunity was a major step in trying to build rule of law in one of the hemisphere’s poorest nations.
“This is about trying to undo decades of impunity and a political-economic elite that run the country as they see fit without being accountable to law, citizens or the international community, but this brings Guatemala one step closer,” said Mike Allison, the head of the political science department at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.
I think we all agree that yesterday’s vote was momentous occasion. Guatemalan and international actors have sought to strengthen the country’s institutions for at least the last two decades, dating back well before the official signing of the peace accords. Like all countries, there’s no end point. The struggle to strengthen political and economic institutions so that they represent and respond to the demands of the Guatemalan people will need to be fought long after President Otto Perez Molina leaves office.
