He President Bernardo Arévalo spoke about the institutional crisis of the University of San Carlos of Guatemala (Usac), supported the demands of the university community and demanded a transparent electoral process.
When asked about the issue during the La Ronda press conference, the president detailed the legal actions taken by the Executive to ensure the legitimacy of the authorities of the house of higher education.
The governor stated that the situation at Usac has taken on special relevance in recent days and assured that the Government recognizes the discontent expressed by different sectors of the university community.
“We recognize the reason for social discontent and we cannot stop speaking out; we have been doing so from the role that I play as head of the Executive, following the rules and observing the times with which this process evolves. I have said it and reiterated it: “The University of San Carlos deserves legitimate authorities, elected in a transparent process and fully in accordance with the law.”Arévalo stated.
Likewise, the president stressed that the Executive respects university autonomy, which is why it is not up to him to elect the USAC authorities or intervene in their internal decisions. However, he noted that Yes, it is the responsibility of your administration to defend the rule of law when there are indications of anomalies in fundamental processes for democracy.
“It is not up to us to elect the authorities of the University of San Carlos or intervene in their internal decisions. But it is up to us to defend the rule of law when there have been fundamental processes for democracy, stained with allegations of irregularities. that must be resolved by the competent institutions,” he emphasized.
Arévalo recalled that USAC plays a key role in the integration of nomination committees for positions of high national relevance, such as the election of the Comptroller General of Accounts and other related processes with the democratic system, including the electoral period.
“For this reason, a few days ago our government presented an appeal to the Constitutional Court to review these irregularities identified in this process,” he pointed out, in reference to the legal action with which he seeks to review the alleged anomalies, including the exclusion of electoral bodies and questions about the legality of the procedure.