Members of the Usac-DIRE group, students, teachers and representatives of civil organizations marched this Sunday, June 21, towards the Constitutional Court (CC) to reject the re-election of Wálter Mazariegos as rector of the University of San Carlos of Guatemala (Usac), considering that the electoral process of last April 8 was carried out without the participation of the opposition electoral bodies.
The demonstration started from the University Auditorium and toured different points of the capital, including the Public Ministry and the Congress of the Republic, before concluding in front of the CC.
During the activity, Rodolfo Chang, former candidate for rector of Usac for the DIRE group, blamed the Higher University Council (CSU) for the crisis that the university is going through and demanded the reopening of the central campus, which remains closed.
“I demand that the Higher University Council bravely open the doors of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala for dignified teaching for our students,” said Chang.
The academic also questioned the rector election held on April 8 in Antigua Guatemala and stated that opposition groups were excluded from the process.
According to Chang, the opposition sectors obtained 21 electoral bodies during the internal university elections, but these did not participate in the final vote to elect the rector.
Likewise, he asked the General Assembly of Rectors of Public and Private Universities of Guatemala not to support an eventual nomination of Mazariegos to preside over the Nomination Commission for the election of Comptroller General of Accounts.
Chang also asked the Constitutional Court to resolve legal appeals related to the university electoral process.
“We have protections that can be resolved so that the election is repeated or carried out correctly and legally,” he stated.
DC faults
On June 8, the plenary session of magistrates of the Constitutional Court stopped the scope of two amparos, one provisional and the other definitive, that had suspended the re-election of Mazariegos as rector of the Usac.
A constitutional source indicated that the draft resolutions, which had already been known by the plenary session, were brought back for signature after two magistrates requested time to incorporate observations.
The dispute over the rectory dates back to the university’s internal elections, in which the group related to Mazariegos lost several votes.
According to statements from Usac-DIRE, the Higher University Council did not accredit the opposition electoral bodies to participate in the final election of the rector.
The final vote was held on April 8, 2026 in Antigua Guatemala. With the exclusion of the opposition sectors, Mazariegos was declared the winner for a new period at the head of the USAC corresponding to 2026-2030.
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