Guatemalan University Community Protests Rector's Reelection

Students, teachers, and civil organizations marched to Guatemala's Constitutional Court on Sunday to protest the reelection of Wálter Mazariegos as rector of the University of San Carlos of Guatemala (Usac). They argue that the electoral process on April 8 excluded opposition electoral bodies.

The demonstration began at the Paraninfo Universitario and proceeded through the capital, passing the Public Ministry and the Congress of the Republic before concluding at the Constitutional Court. Rodolfo Chang, a former rector candidate, blamed the Superior University Council (CSU) for the ongoing crisis at Usac and demanded the reopening of the main campus, which remains closed.

"I demand that the Superior University Council bravely open the doors of the University of San Carlos of Guatemala for dignified teaching for our students," Chang stated. He also questioned the April 8 rector election held in Antigua Guatemala, asserting that opposition groups, despite securing 21 electoral bodies, were not permitted to participate in the final vote.

Chang urged the General Assembly of Public and Private Universities of Guatemala to reject any potential nomination of Mazariegos for the general comptroller selection committee. He also called on the Constitutional Court to resolve legal challenges concerning the university's electoral process, stating, "We have amparos that can be resolved so that the election is repeated or carried out correctly and legally."

The Constitutional Court had previously suspended Mazariegos's reelection through provisional and definitive amparos on June 8. However, a constitutional source indicated that the court's magistrates were revisiting the resolutions for final signatures after two magistrates requested time to incorporate observations. The dispute over the rectorship stems from internal university elections where Mazariegos's supporters reportedly lost several votes, and Usac-DIRE claims the CSU did not accredit opposition electoral bodies.