Weekly Report - 11 April 2024 (WR-24-14)

Less than 100 days after taking office, Guatemala’s President Bernardo Arévalo has sacked his first minister, María José Iturbide. The departure of Iturbide, who headed up the environment ministry (MARN), followed media reports regarding the use of ministry vehicles and security by her daughter. Arévalo, who won the 2023 election by a landslide on the pledge to tackle institutional corruption, said the decision to fire Iturbide had been taken “to avoid any doubt about his administration’s commitment and zero tolerance for misuse of state resources and corruption”. It follows other signs of his commitment to this pledge.