Guatemala's newly selected Constitutional Court faces a tough challenge to regain the trust of citizens disillusioned with a justice system perceived to serve the interests of a few, experts said Thursday.
Elected every five years by various institutions, the country's highest court will retain four of its 10 magistrates, including alternates. The outgoing court's decisions in controversial cases were criticised for protecting individuals with alleged ties to drug trafficking, human rights abuses, or corruption.
Experts suggest the new court appears more balanced, but its rulings will ultimately determine whether that holds true. “What it has to do is recover the concept of a legal and technical court and not issue decisions tailored for anyone,” said Carlos Luna Villacorta, a former alternate magistrate. “It must inspire more confidence above all with its most controversial decisions.”
The new court was finalised Wednesday when President Bernardo Arévalo announced his selections of Gladys Annabella Morfín, a former solicitor general, and her alternate María Magdalena Jocholá, a Kaqchikel Maya lawyer and academic specialising in Indigenous issues. Four of the five principal magistrates will be women when the court is seated in April.
Political analyst Renzo Rosal described the new court as “relatively balanced,” noting it leans conservative but that is expected given its role in applying the constitution. “What we need is a group of magistrates who must stabilise the court and allow it to be an institution that halts the mistrust of justice, that serves the people and not the spurious spaces like now,” he said.
