The deputies in the Plenary of Congress have not sought how to reverse their salary increase, and everything indicates that it will be the Constitutional Court (CC) that defines the matter, but the discussion was postponed this Thursday because two magistrates requested more time.
Nester Vásquez, president of the CC, had included an appeal for the Citizen Action Organization on the agenda. It is a due execution with which the organization expects to cancel the salary increase that the deputies were prescribed.
But the case had to be removed from the agenda because two of the five title magistrates who will know the file requested more time to study it. This is Héctor Hugo Pérez Aguilera and Leyla Lemus, according to a judicial source.
The two magistrates explained at the meeting that needed more time to meet the file in detail. Even one of them said that until today he had knowledge of it and that the document had not been published.
This case will be resolved by the title magistrates who, given the arguments of their colleagues, the remaining three, chose to give them the time they requested.
This will allow Pérez Aguilera and Lemus to be able to document and study in detail the aspects that the organization for the increase in the salary of the deputies and compare the answers and reports sent by the Congress itself to the Court in defense of its increase.
The decision
The Board of Directors of the Congress presided over Deputy Nery Ramos authorized a salary increase for the deputies. Congressmen now have as a base salary Q46 thousand 700, to which other economic benefits such as diets and representation expenses that were not withdrawn despite the increase are added.
The plenary, when he approved his budget for 2025, authorized a salary increase and compensation when they left office. But the actions generated legal actions that were presented to the CC.
The first to act were deputies of the Will Block Opportunity and Solidarity (you), then did citizen action. Both received provisional amparos that stopped compensation but that set a procedure to, at that time, the possible salary increase of the deputies.
The CC explained that the Board of Directors of the Congress had to do a financial study to know if the increase could be viable. For this they had to make a financial opinion.
This study in conjunction with other administrative and human resources areas of Congress made the salary increase advisable. This first step was fulfilled.
But in the provisional protection the Court was clear in saying that after having the opinion to define a possible budget readjustment for the increase, it must be subjected to vote by the plenary of deputies. This second point did not happen and the decision was in charge of the Board of Directors that presides over Ramos.
The president of the Congress assured that he did not participate in the session where the issue was discussed and reaffirmed his rejection of the increase. But when press releases presented the facts, he described them as false until the minutes with the decision of the board was published.
Subsequently, Ramos next to some block leaders of Congress defended the increase. His position was such that he refused to say that deputies of the Directive voted in favor of the decision that made the payment to the deputies effective with the increase on February 28.
In addition to the proper execution presented by AC, a new amparo presented by the former presidential excandidate Armando Castillo is pending. In a report sent by Congress to the CC, he asks not to cancel the increase in the salary of the deputies.