International
Guatemala concludes key election of the 13 members of the Supreme Court for the next five years
The deputies of the Guatemalan Congress elected this Thursday the new 13 members of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) for the period 2024-2029, a transcendental designation for the fight against corruption in the Central American country.
The Guatemalan congressmen reached the necessary consensus to elect the new members of the Supreme Court 10 days before the deadline established in the law to define the substitutes of the current magistrates expired.
“Congress has made its decision and chosen the new magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice. Each deputy must take responsibility for his vote,” said the president of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León, in a message on the social network X after concluding the election.
Regain confidence in justice
The president recalled that “in the hands of the new CSJ is to fulfill the commitment that the people of Guatemala demand: to recover confidence in justice, respect for human rights and the frontal fight against impunity.”
“Beyond speculation, we need to see his vocation for justice in concrete facts. Never again courts that are not at the service of democracy, the rule of law and the construction of a better future,” he concluded.
Among the elected candidates stands out the re-election of three current magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice, headed by Gustavo Adolfo Morales Duarte, who in 2020 accused himself of participating in the rigging of the election of courts that year.
When the election of the magistrates ended, opposition deputies, such as Allan Rodríguez, with complaints of corruption, celebrated with applause and shouts the election of the magistrates.
“Despite the fact that the ruling party allied itself with organized crime, that yesterday they distributed money, that there was a list of vetoed by the embassy, despite the fact that there were pressures against deputies (…), today Guatemala won,” Rodríguez, who did not prove his accusations, told the press.
According to the deputy, it is a “balanced Supreme Court, not all with the same ideology, but it doesn’t matter, it’s professional people, who have demonstrated their ability, many of them magistrates with experience.”
The new magistrates of the Supreme Court of Guatemala
The new Supreme Court magistrates are: Carlos Lucero Paz, Claudia Paredes Castañeda, Gustavo Morales Duarte, Jenny Alvarado Tení, Igmaín García Pimentel, Flor Gálvez Barrios, Carlos Contreras Valenzuela, Flor García Villatoro, Clemen Juárez Midence, Teodulo Cifuentes Maldonado, Estuardo Cardenas, Luis Conrado Campos and René Girón Palacios.
The process of electing magistrates of the Guatemalan Supreme Court has been under the international magnifying glass, of entities such as the Organization of American States (OAS), due to the current deterioration of the country’s judicial system, reflected in cases of political persecution against journalists, prosecutors and activists.
According to the OAS, as well as international organizations such as Impunity Watch or Human Rights Watch (HRW), this Supreme Court election process was vital for “the rescue of Guatemala’s justice system.”
Members of the official bench, consulted by EFE during the vote, indicated that the election ended with “questionable” candidates elected and with others without precedents that this faction supported them for their integration.
Between 2014 and 2019, investigations were carried out on the rigging of court elections through the intervention of political operators, such as former ministers and presidential candidates who sought to place their relatives in these positions.
International
Macron meets Machado, stresses need for democratic transition in Venezuela
Emmanuel Macron met on Monday at the Élysée Palace with Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, where they discussed the importance of advancing a democratic transition in Venezuela.
In a message shared on social media, Macron highlighted Machado’s commitment to freedom and stressed the need to achieve a transition that is peaceful and respects the will of the Venezuelan people.
“I received María Corina Machado, Nobel Peace Prize laureate. Together, we discussed her commitment to freedom and the importance of achieving a democratic, peaceful transition in Venezuela that respects the will of its people,” he wrote.
For her part, Machado expressed her “deep gratitude” to Macron and to France for their support of democracy and freedom in Venezuela.
“We have gone through a long and painful journey, and we are now very close to freedom. Venezuela will become a nation of free and equal men and women—prosperous, safe, and united,” she said.
International
Trump says Iran seeks new talks after failed negotiations in Pakistan
Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran has reached out to United States to resume negotiations, following the collapse of recent talks held in Islamabad.
“We’ve been contacted by the other side,” Trump told reporters, adding that Iran is eager to reach a deal “at all costs.” Speaking from the Oval Office, he reiterated that his main objective is to prevent the Islamic Republic from acquiring nuclear weapons and warned that he will not allow Iran to “blackmail” the international community.
After negotiations between Washington and Tehran ended without agreement on Sunday, Trump announced that the U.S. would move to block the Strait of Hormuz, a critical route for global oil trade.
The waterway had already been disrupted by Iran in response to a U.S. and Israeli offensive launched on February 28, causing significant shocks to the global economy.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump further warned that any Iranian vessel attempting to bypass the U.S. naval blockade in the strait would be “eliminated immediately.”
The renewed tensions have pushed oil prices higher, while global stock markets have reacted negatively to the lack of an agreement in Islamabad.
International
Trump orders U.S. control of Strait of Hormuz after failed Iran talks
U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the United States will take control of the Strait of Hormuz“effective immediately,” following the collapse of negotiations with Iran held in Islamabad.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had ordered the U.S. Navy to block vessels attempting to enter or exit the strategic waterway, a key route for global energy trade.
“The meeting went well, agreement was reached on most points, but the only really important one — nuclear weapons — was not approved,” Trump said, referring to the talks with Iranian representatives.
The president also stated that he had instructed authorities to intercept ships in international waters that had paid tolls to Iran to transit the strait, calling such payments “illegal.” He further accused Tehran of hindering an agreement by deploying mines in the area, describing the move as “international extortion.”
Trump added that the United States will undertake efforts to clear mines from the strait and expressed confidence that a future agreement ensuring free navigation could eventually be reached.
The announcement came after Vice President JD Vance and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner briefed the president on the outcome of the negotiations, considered the highest-level contacts between the two countries since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
While Trump acknowledged that enough progress had been made to maintain a temporary truce, he criticized Iran for remaining unwilling to abandon its nuclear ambitions, calling its position “very inflexible” on the central issue.
Macron meets Machado, stresses need for democratic transition in Venezuela
Trump says Iran seeks new talks after failed negotiations in Pakistan
Arévalo calls for ‘rescue’ of Guatemala’s Prosecutor’s Office amid leadership change
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