Guatemalan Deputy Seeks Audit Of Public Ministry

President Bernardo Arevalo is scheduled to conduct interviews for the selection of the Public Ministry head for the 2026-2030 term. Officials present during the proceedings included Governor Marco Antonio Villeda and the Secretary General of the Presidency, Juan Gerardo Guerrero. The event follows images released by the Executive branch. The challenge claims the Commission Postuladora did not guarantee compliance with constitutional requirements established in Article 216 of the Guatemalan Constitution. Aldana specifically questioned the grading scale used by the commission, which assigned up to 50 points for professional experience. The petitioner claims this weighting unfairly benefits applicants currently working within the Public Ministry or the Institute of Public Defense. The petitioner cited Article 199 of the Judicial Organism Law, which prohibits public officials working full-time from acting as private lawyers. A candidate is seeking an amparo to review the scoring weights assigned to applicants on the list sent to the President of Guatemala. The candidate seeks to strengthen the judicial career to ensure access to public office is based on merit, capacity, and equality. The challenge claims the current system fails to meet constitutional standards and international human rights requirements. Deputies from the Movimiento Semilla party filed a preventive amparo before the Constitutional Court in Guatemala. They also submitted a request for the Comptroller General to audit the Public Ministry.