ANTIGUA, Guatemala – Thousands of protesters took to the streets of the Guatemalan capital on Saturday to express anger over a budget bill passed this week that cuts funding for health care and education.
Demonstrations in the city of Guatemala, including peaceful marches in the central plaza, displaced thousands of people, destroyed homes and destroyed crucial infrastructure. The country’s Congress passed a budget on Wednesday that cut spending on education and health in favor of a growing population of legislators as torrential rains lashed Guatemala’s highlands and coastal regions on Wednesday.
The bill, which also proposed reducing funding for the judiciary to combat malnutrition and poor funding, sparked immediate outrage and sparked nationwide protests.
A group of opposition members kicked and set fire to the window of the congressional building, setting it on fire outside the entrance. According to local news reports, police officers sprayed tear gas on protesters and firefighters.
On Twitter, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammette condemned the attack. “We cannot allow sabotage of public and private property.” Said in a tweetHe added that perpetrators of “criminal acts” would be “punished with full force of law.” In an effort to calm protesters, the president said in an earlier announcement that he was reviewing possible changes to the budget.
But even frustration with Mr. Jimmattey’s leadership has reached the highest levels of his own cabinet.
On Friday, Vice President Guillermo Castillo told a news conference that he had “little contact with the president” and offered to resign, but only then did Mr Giamattei resign. Mr Giamatte did not respond to a request for comment.
Protesters in the city of Antigua, an hour’s drive west of the capital, said they were angry at the long-running corruption in every sphere of their government. Last year, former President Jimmy Morales fired a UN-backed commission that was aggressively investigating high-profile cases. The move was widely criticized as an attempt by officials to accuse him of abusing government office fees for personal gain.
“I’m upset that the country is sinking into debt and things aren’t changing,” said Maria Vega, a three-year-old teacher who brought her two sons to protest in Antigua. “We have suffered a lot in the last few months and it is disappointing that health, education is not given priority.”
In the city of Guatemala, people signaled that they had “neither the president nor the Congress” and called on all legislators to resign, according to photos on social media. A giant rat plastered with the President’s name on the central plaza of the capital. Religious groups, including those led by the Roman Catholic Church, joined Mr. Giamattei’s voice in demanding a veto of the budget.
“The lack of clarity that Congress approved the budget is the last straw for me,” said Antonio Duren, an engineer from Antigua. “Corruption by Guatemala’s governments has affected generations of people – and that’s something we need to stop.”
Reported by Nick Virtze from Mexico City to Antigua, Guatemala and Natalie Kitroff.
