By: Andrea Ixchíu Hernández
The past night of Saturday August 26th through a message recorded and broadcasted on the social network Twitter the President of Guatemala Jimmy Morales, accused last friday of illicit electoral financing by the Attorney General and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala -CICIG-, announced the decision to expel CICIG Commissioner Iván Velasquez from the country. This message was issued just as Morales returned from his trip to New York where he held a meeting with the head of the United Nations.
“As President of the Republic, for the interests of the Guatemalan people, strengthening of the rule of law, and institutionality, I declare I am grateful to Mr. Iván Velásquez Gómez, in his capacity as commissioner of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala, and ordered that he immediately leave the Republic of Guatemala, “said the president.
This despite the fact that on Saturday afternoon thousands of people, indigenous organizations, civil society and university students went to a mobilization demanding the resignation of Jimmy Morales and supporting the work of the Attorney General and CICIG.