Vice President Karin Herrera I would be The official with the highest salary in Guatemala. The promise to reduce The salary was fulfilled by President Bernardo Arévalobut Not for the second in command of the Executive.
June 30, 2023, Shortly after winning the first electoral roundthe binomial said that there would be a reduction of their salaries and a review of the fees In public positions.
“Let’s start with the first thing: they asked me, I said it and we are going to do it. The day I take possession The presidential salary will go down and we will review public wageswithout waiting for Congress to say if it is going to do it or not, ”were the words of Bernardo Arévalo, who was next to him Karin Herrera, nodding with her statement to what was expressed by her formula partner.
When completing 100 days in power, it was announced publicly the reduction of 25% of the presidential and vice presidential salary, provision that entered into force on June 1, 2024.
“Today this promise, I have signed the trade through which I request the secretary of the SAAS, Mr. Iván Carpio that reduces 25% of the presidential salary. This president complies with, the vice president has done the same and signed an equal letter making this request”, Bernardo Arévalo said in an event that was held in front of the Palace of the Interior.
Immediately He signed in front of the spectators the letter with which he requested the reduction of his salary.
Karin Herrera did not do it and It disobeyed an express order of the President of the Republic.
Differences between the salary of the President and Vice President
The official social media accounts of the Government made publications about what was announced by the president. Also the official media such as the Guatemalan News Agency (AGN) They reported the new salaries of the officials, but the records do not lie.
According to the documents, which They are public ex officioThey show that, since she took possession to date, the vice president He has received the same amount of fees in his bank accounts.
The president went from winning Q 148 thousand 838 monthly to Q115 thousand 219.36information that was found with the reports published every month on the page of the Secretary of Administrative Affairs and Security of the Presidency (SAAS), but in the case of Karin Herrera His salary never ceased to be Q136 thousand 412.
Internal to the Executive it is mentioned that Herrera never agreed to reduce her salary. His salary is broken down as follows:
- Q23 thousand 787 base salary
- Professional bonus Q375
- A Q250 bonus
- Q112 thousand for other representation expenses
This means that monthlythe vice president wins Q21 thousand 192 more than Bernardo Arévalo himself.
Last year the vice presidency informed that the money for salary reduction, would be distributed among the secretariats who is in charge of Herrera, which are Svet, Senabed, Sectcatid and Senacyt.
On the other hand, the SAAS confirmed that the monetary difference from the presidential salary, has been returned to the Ministry of Finance.
Government without position before the questions
From the morning of Wednesday, April 2, a position was requested in person with the Secretariat of Social Communication of the Presidency and with the Vice Presidency press department, But in both cases there was no answer.
The questions sent were:
- Why did the vice president not reduce her salary as announced?
- Why is there no coherence between what the president informed 100 days of government and what Vice President Herrera did?
None of the questions was resolved, so it contacted By telephone call to the Secretary General of the Vice PresidencyNery Franco Baquiax.
The official said he has no knowledge of the questions asked in the morning to the press department and He excused he could not give information without talking about the subject with Vice President Herrera.
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