Alejandro Maldonado
There is a new president in Guatemala; he is Alejandro Maldonado, who will serve until January when a new president takes office. His installation came within hours of the resignation of Otto Perez Molina. The former President caved in at midnight after months of prolonged and escalating anti-corruption protests outside the Presidential Palace. Perez Molina is said to be implicated in the widespread corruption which has so far led to the arrest and imprisonment of former Vice-President Roxana Baldetti and other high level officials, as well as the resignation of at least seven ministers. At news time, there is word that Perez Molina, who was in court today to hear recorded evidence of his involvement in a corruption ring known as ‘La Linea,’ has been remanded into custody to prevent him from absconding. It is a turbulent time in the country’s history, and that turmoil will likely have ripple effects. Since Belize and Guatemala share a pond, so to speak, we caught up to Prime Minister Dean Barrow today and asked him about those ripples.
Dean Barrow
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“Instability in Guatemala given our particular circumstances…given the difficulties we have just experienced with respect certainly with the Sarstoon incident…instability is certainly concerning. I hope that because the military to military relationship is not just good, but is based on structures and operating protocols as well as the inter-personal relations between our General and his opposite number. I hope that in these circumstances professionalism will prevail. But it has to be worrying if there is some sort of vacuum at the top. Presumably the Guatemalan Vice-President Maldonado who I gather is a good man and true will be able to exercise the duties of the presidency in a manner that will see all officialdom in Guatemala accepting of his authority. So I am hoping that it won’t ultimately in any practical way affect the situation with us, but that it has that potential in my view is undoubted.”
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