Guatemala’s Minister of the Interior, David Napoleón Barrientos Girón, has resigned from his position amidst the country’s current complex situation. Barrientos Girón submitted his resignation letter to President Alejandro Giammattei on Monday, citing the challenges faced by the nation as the reason for stepping down.
The Presidency has confirmed that the resignation has been accepted, but no replacement has been appointed as the new Minister of the Interior yet.
The Public Ministry had previously called for the dismissal of Barrientos Girón from the Constitutional Court due to his alleged “disobedience” in failing to maintain public order and protect the right to peaceful demonstration, as stated in a statement released by the body.
Guatemala has been witnessing ongoing protests and blockades for over two weeks, resulting in one fatality and 11 arrests. Various social organizations have been demonstrating against the Public Ministry, accusing it of attempting to interfere with the results of the recent presidential elections through raids on the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.
In defense, the Public Ministry has stated that they were authorized to conduct these raids and confiscate materials as they are investigating the magistrates for allegedly engaging in irregular contracts related to the electoral result processing system used during the August 20 elections, in which Bernardo Arévalo of the Semilla party emerged as the winner.