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From: TT
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Photo: Oliver De Ros / AP / TT
Angry protesters set fire to the Guatemala City convention building on Saturday.
Pressure is mounting on Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei after thousands of people joined the protests demanding his resignation. Anger over the controversial cuts prompted some protesters to set the country’s parliament building on fire.
At the heart of the dissatisfaction is the budget that Congress, where conservative pro-government parties are in the majority, pummeled this week.
It contains record expenditures partially financed by loans of almost 100 billion quetzal (about 108 billion SEK). Much of the investment goes to infrastructure with connections to large companies, while there is less money for health care, education and the judiciary, which bothers broad sectors of society.
– Congress allocates more money for its own meals but not resources for the poor, says 25-year-old student and protest participant Diego Herrera.
Several arrested
Most of the protesters gathered for a peaceful protest in front of the former government palace in the capital Guatemala City, not far from the congress building. Among the flags and banners were messages such as “No more corruption,” “Giammattei out,” and “Fighting with the wrong generation.”
At the same time, unrest erupted when a small group of protesters broke windows and set the congress building on fire. At least 14 people are being treated in hospital for various injuries after clashes with riot police and 22 people are said to have been arrested.
Conflict with the vice president
Giammattei has defended the budget, but after Saturday’s protests, he wrote on Twitter that he is considering making some changes.
His own vice president, Guillermo Castillo, has opposed the budget and said both should resign to defuse the situation.
Giammattei, 64, took office in January. His first time in power has been marked by controversy over handling the pandemic and restrictions that have hurt an already weak economy.
As if that weren’t enough, two powerful hurricanes hit the country in November. At least 60 people have died in the storms, which also destroyed the crops of tens of thousands of families.
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