Guatemala’s government spoke on April 3 regarding Vice President Karin Herrera salary and announced that the President Bernardo Arévalo has ordered the reduction of the representation expenses of the vice presidency.
In a official statementthe executive explained that The total reduction of the wages of the presidential binomial was not implemented in its entiretyso Arévalo He instructed the Minister of Public Finance to apply the reduction agreed to the expenses of representation of the vice presidencyensuring that this measure is “According to the commitments assumed with the people of Guatemala”.
This announcement arises after Herrera will publish, half an hour before, a statement in which he assured that constitutionally it was not possible to reduce your salary.
The note published by Free press He revealed that, despite his promise to reduce his salary after the first election round of June 2023, the vice president Not only keeps the same salarybut perceives an amount greater than that of President Arévalobecoming The best paid official in the country.
In his response, Herrera explained that Yes, internal efforts to evaluate the viability of the salary reductionbut the technical and legal analysis concluded that it was not possible due to constitutional restrictions.
“As vice presidentgiven the request made at the time by the President of the RepublicI instructed that internal steps for salary reduction will be carried out. Given this, the Legal viability and the consequences that that action would entail. Of such an account, The technical and legal opinions concluded that it was not constitutionally viable to reduce salarysince it corresponds to an acquired right And the salary has been assigned to the position and not my person, “reads the statement.
Herrera stressed that the amount he receives was set since 2004 and? A reduction could have future legal repercussions.
He assured that The corresponding documents were sent to the necessary instanceswithout requiring later follow -up.
In addition, he defended his management: I have fulfilled all the obligations imposed by the Constitution And with the mandate granted by the people of Guatemala, generating results for the benefit of the population, especially impacting on childhood and adolescencehe Empowerment of womenhe Strengthening science as a means for social transformation and The actions for the protection of the migrant population.
Finally, the vice president argued that His salary is an inalienable right, backed by the Constitution: According to article 106 of the Political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala, the salary is an inalienable right and corresponds to the work carried out. I have worked tirelessly for the benefit of the population and I will continue to do it with the same commitment that I assumed from the first day of my management.
Herrera’s response comes in the middle of the Debate on the income of senior government officials and other state agencies, such as the legislative, and Citizen expectation regarding the offer of salaries reduction in public administration.
#Release | pic.twitter.com/4vaxogs04k
– Karin Herrera (@karinherreravp) April 3, 2025