Plenary of the Congress is summoned for two sessions in one day and deputies will be able to collect the diets of the whole month

Home News Plenary of the Congress is summoned for two sessions in one day and deputies will be able to collect the diets of the whole month
News
June 17, 2025June 17, 2025By Mario Vásquez
Plenary of the Congress is summoned for two sessions in one day and deputies will be able to collect the diets of the whole month

The Plenary of the Congress was summoned to celebrate two plenary sessions this Tuesday, June 17. However, analysts warn little chances of success, due to the lack of agreements and fragmentation of the banks that make up the current legislature.

The first session is scheduled for 10 am and contemplates the continuation of the interpellations to the Ministers of State. Two hours later a broader agenda is proposed, which includes choice of authorities and multiple bills.

The last session held by the Legislative was on June 22. On that occasion, the Permanent Commission also summoned two plenary sessions for the same day.

With these calls, although there was nothing progress, the deputies met the requirement that allowed them to collect Q9 thousand 600 for diets. Now, the scenario seems to be repeated, which will allow them to access that bonus contemplated again by the Organic Law of the Legislative Agency.

The agendas

For the first session, at 10 am, the Permanent Commission hopes to continue interpellation to the Minister of Health, Joaquín Barnoya. The political trial is found in the basic question 10 of 35.

Then, it is contemplated to continue with the interpellations to the Ministers of Social Development, Communications and Environment. However, experts consider that two hours are insufficient and unbelievable to address all interpellations.

At 12 noon, the second session of the day includes a broader agenda, with 11 points:

  1. Approval of the previous session act
  2. Qualified office, including resolutions of the Constitutional Court (CC) on expulsion of deputies from their benches
  3. Reading 13 law initiatives to be sent to Commission, including one that proposes to extend to September the payment of vehicle circulation tax
  4. Election of the titular and substitute director for the Board of Directors of the New Superintendence of Competition
  5. Election of a new deputy of the National Unit of Hope (UNE) to integrate the Congress Human Rights Commission
  6. Continuation of the first debate of the 6430 initiative, law to prevent child sexual abuse
  7. First reading of five law initiatives, including which seeks to reform the Organic Law of the Legislative Agency (6445 initiative)
  8. Second debate of the 6433 initiative, Alliance Law for the Development of Economic Infrastructure
  9. Election of the first secretary of the Board of Directors of the Congress
  10. Third reading of two law initiatives
  11. Motions and propositions

No agreements

For Visible Guatemala and the National Economic Research Center (one hundred), entities that integrate efficient Congress, it is unlikely that the agenda will be complied with due to the absence of consensus.

“The Board of Directors has presented different proposals to cover issues of interest in the legislative blocks; however, according to our monitoring, there are less and less consensus, since each block proposes different issues and the quorum necessary to boost them is not achieved,” said Guatemala Visible.

He added that, although there is a will to advance the pending issues, it is unlikely to achieve it, although there are key issues with legal deadlines that must be met.

“The election of the titular and alternate director to integrate the Board of the Superintendence of Competition is important. Since they must assume on June 24, the order of the day would be expected to be altered through a privileged motion to know this point as a priority,” said Guatemala visible.

For his part, Francisco Quezada, a hundred investigator, considered that the intention of summoning two sessions on the same day, with such a short interval and extensive agendas, responds to the need to comply with the calls required by law to collect diets.

“It is absolutely questionable. This practice we have already seen in commissions, the monthly requirements are met, but there is no capacity or discussion. It is only sought to justify the payment of diets,” Quezada emphasized.

He added that if they approached any bill, it would be something that citizens should observe carefully, since this legislature has promoted controversial initiatives without prior notice.

“This Congress has a dangerous history in terms of approved laws. There could be some who want to pass immediately. That is very dangerous, because many have ended in the Constitutional Court,” he added.

Evade wage reduction

With this mechanic, Quezada recalled, the deputies of the tenth legislature approved at the end of last year a salary increase that, despite the public offer of the president of the Congress of annulling it, remains in force.

Likewise, Pablo Solórzano, an analyst at the Legislative Observatory, considered that such an ambitious agenda could lead to possible agreements, but regretted that citizen demand to reduce congressmen’s salaries has not been included.

“An important issue that has not been addressed is the reduction of the salary of the deputieswhich has been requested by the population, ”he said.

The analyst also stressed the importance of paying attention to the agenda to avoid alterations in the parliamentary order.

“The intention of presenting a seemingly noble agenda is striking, but perhaps it is sought to modify it to expose the true intentions of the plenary,” he concluded.

Source