1993 Guatemalan constitutional crisis

May 2023 1993 Guatemalan constitutional crisis the Guatemalan Civil War Jorge Serrano Elías.jpg Serrano (right) addresses a press conference after seizing power in a military-backed surprise coup de force, 25 May 1993 May 25, 1993 – June 5, 1993 Guatemala * President Jorge Serrano Elías resigns; Gustavo Espina becomes interim president Espina removed from office by the Congress of Guatemala; replaced by Ramiro de León Guatemala 1968 Executive branch Council of Ministers Flag of the President of Guatemala.svg President of Guatemala Logo del Congreso de la República de Guatemala.svg Congress Logo corte de constitucionalidad de Guatemala.svg Constitutional Court Organismo Judicial Guatemala Logo.svg Supreme Court of JusticeMP logo.png Attorney General of the NationChief Attorney GeneralLogo del Tribunal Supremo Electoral de Guatemala.svg Supreme Electoral TribunalGuatemalan populaceSupported by:Organization of American StatesUnited Nations Flag of the President of Guatemala.svg Jorge Serrano ElíasFlag of the Vice-President of Guatemala.svg Gustavo EspinaAída de CastilloRoxana Baldettihttp://www.prensalibre.com/hemeroteca/primeros-aos-de-roxana-baldetti-en-la-politica Primeros años de Roxana Baldetti en la política – Prensa Libre 21 August 2015 Francisco PerdomoArturo Alvarado Pérez Logo corte de constitucionalidad de Guatemala.svg Epaminondas González Logo del Tribunal Supremo Electoral de Guatemala.svg Arturo Herbruger AsturiasRamiro de León CarpioLogo corte de constitucionalidad de Guatemala.svg Jorge García LaguardiaOthers:José Rubén Zamora The 1993 Guatemala constitutional crisis took place in 1993 when then President Jorge Serrano Elías attempted a self-coup or autogolpe. On Tuesday May 25, 1993, Serrano illegally suspended the constitution, dissolved Congress and the Supreme Court, imposed censorship, and tried to restrict civil freedom.Barry S. Levitt (2006), "A Desultory Defense of Democracy: OAS Resolution 1080 and the Inter-American Democratic Charter, Latin American Politics and Society, Volume 48, Issue 3, September 2006, Pages: 93–123. pp104-5 The attempted self-coup was similar to the one carried out by Alberto Fujimori, but unlike Fujimori's, had no popular support: Serrano's action met with strong protests by most elements of Guatemalan society, at the forefront of which was the Siglo Veintiuno newspaper under the leadership of José Rubén Zamora.August 2010 This was combined with international pressure (the Organization of American States condemned the autogolpe) and the army's enforcement of the decisions of the Constitutional Court, which ruled against the attempted takeover.August 2010 In the face of this pressure, Serrano resigned as president and fled the country. He was replaced on an interim basis by his vice president, Gustavo Espina. However, Espina was judged by the Constitutional Court to have been involved in the coup as well, and Congress replaced him with Human Rights Ombudsman Ramiro de León. Background In 1993, Guatemala was participating in a young democracy of seven years, continually weakened by frequent episodes of violence and corruption. The first mass expressions of popular discontent appeared in March as protests against increases in energy and transportation prices. The situation later escalated in the face of strong opposition from the public secondary-level student sector, which viewed a proposed student uniform as a sign of militarization, combined with an offer of free public transportation that it regarded with little credibility. By 12 May, the 17-year-old student Abner Adiel Hernández was killed during a violent protest in front of Congress, as was shown on video, by the personal security detail of a deputy.El País Fuga de la cárcel de un oficial guatemalteco condenado por asesinar a un norteamericano Escape from prison of a Guatemalan officer convicted of murdering an American 15 May 1993 http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/GUATEMALA/ESTADOS_UNIDOS/LATINOAMERICA/fuga/carcel/oficial/guatemalteco/condenado/asesinar/norteamericano/elpepiint/19930515elpepiint_16/Tes/ Self-coup In the early morning hours of Tuesday May 25, 1993, President Jorge Serrano Elías suspended the Constitution, dissolved the Congress, disbanded the Supreme Court, and declared himself dictator for the next two-and-a-half years.Dosal, Paul J. Power in transition: the rise of Guatemala's industrial oligarchy, 1871-1994. Westport: Praeger. 1995. Pp. 1. He also suspended 59 articles of the Guatemalan Constitution. At the same time, Serrano called on the Supreme Electoral Tribunal to convoke elections for a National Constituent Assembly in 60 days.McCleary, Rachel M. Dictating democracy: Guatemala and the end of violent revolution. Gainesville: University Press of Florida. 1999. Pp. 105-148. Serrano had severely overestimated his support from the military and underestimated the international diplomatic reaction to his coup. Furthermore, his move had the unintended effect of catalyzing opposition not only to his leadership but to the whole structure of backroom military power that he had hoped would support him, bringing together an unlikely coalition of progressive business interests, human rights groups, and Maya activists that would play an important role in the 1996 Peace Accord negotiations.Fischer, Edward F. Cultural logics and global economies: Maya identity in thought and practice. Austin: University of Texas Press, Austin. 2001. Pp. 78–79. In one last bid to stay in office, Serrano tried to recall the Congress which he had dissolved in May. Few responded and Serrano was forced to step down. He subsequently fled to El Salvador under military protection on June 2. Serrano's departure provoked another crisis when on June 2 another of his supporters, Vice-president Gustavo Espina Salguero, proclaimed himself President. Espina was prevented from taking office on the evening of June 2 when only 44 deputies attended Congress to approve his swearing-in. On June 4, the Court of Constitutionality ruled that Espina was not eligible for the presidency due to his support for Serrano's coup. The Court ordered the Congress to reconvene and elect a new president within 24 hours.Keesing's record of world events June 1993. Pp. 39503. The independent press, initially censored, managed to clandestinely publish some copies on the afternoon of 26 May, which were later reproduced and distributed throughout the country. In the newspaper Prensa Libre, the Human Rights Ombudsman, who had escaped from the police via the roof of his house, declared: "Perhaps I am the first Human Rights Ombudsman to work clandestinely, but I am a defender of the Constitution and of the democratic system. I cannot do otherwise than fight, together with the different social sectors, for the immediate return to constitutional order. Society has the right to resistance, to unite and to demand explanations regarding an absurd and illegal measure. President Serrano has committed crimes against the Constitution and, upon the restoration of constitutional order, the logical course is that he be brought to trial." Prensa Libre, 26 May 1993 References Guatemala Constitutional Crisis Guatemalan Constitutional Crisis Category:Guatemalan Civil War Category:Coups d'état in Guatemala Category:Political history of Guatemala Guatemala Guatemala Guatemala Category:Attempted self-coups