Date: Dec 05, 2025
Dear LAWGista,
In 2026, Guatemala will hold four judicial elections for magistrates of the Constitutional Court (CC), the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), the Comptroller General’s Office, and, most importantly, the Attorney General.
These elections have everything to do with defending human rights and upholding justice. The wrong people in the job can incarcerate journalists like José Rubén Zamora Marroquín, unlawfully imprisoned for over two years; prevent progressive political parties from participating in elections, like the Semilla Party in 2023; or shelve high-profile corruption cases involving political and economic elites.
LAWG is shining a spotlight on these important elections. Will Guatemala’s fragile democracy be able to survive, or will corruption and impunity continue?
This is the electoral calendar:
- The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) magistrates, responsible for guaranteeing free and fair elections in 2027, will take office on March 27, 2026. Five magistrates and five alternates will be appointed.
- The Constitutional Court magistrates, responsible for guaranteeing respect for and compliance with the Guatemalan Constitution, will assume their positions on April 14, 2026. Similar to the TSE, five magistrates and five alternates will be appointed.
- The Attorney General and Head of Guatemala’s Public Prosecutor’s Office, in charge of fighting corruption, drug trafficking, organized crime, and impunity—in short, guaranteeing the rule of law—will take office on May 17, 2026.
- The Comptroller General, charged with financial oversight and fiscal responsibility, starts in August 2026.
The process for electing the magistrates is varied. For the TSE, the Comptroller General, and the Attorney General, temporary commissions of academic and legal professionals are formed that nominate candidates based on a pool of applications. Guatemala’s Congress ultimately chooses who the five TSE magistrates and their alternates will be, as well as the Comptroller General. The President chooses the Attorney General. For the Constitutional Court, magistrates are elected by the three branches of government, a university council of the San Carlos University, and an association of attorneys and notaries.
These processes were designed to guarantee a fair process based on the merits of the candidates, but unfortunately, corrupt actors are compromising them. The last few election processes have been rife with irregularities that have seriously compromised the independence of these critical institutions by electing dirty judges.
Consuelo Porras, the current Attorney General, is an emblematic example of how outside forces rigged the process through the parallel commissions to guarantee her nomination to not only one but two terms as Attorney General. Because of her, judicial independence has been weakened in the last ten years, earning her a spot on the Engel List in 2021 for corrupt and undemocratic actors, and she has been sanctioned by 41 other countries. An independent study also found her to be ineffective as an Attorney General, citing that over 93% of all criminal cases between 2024 and 2025 did not receive an adequate response.
LAWG and our partners are deeply concerned that the same powerful interests and corrupt actors are again using their power to influence the outcome of the elections of the magistrates next year.
So what are we doing about it? Mobilizing. LAWG supported GHRC‘s delegation of truth-tellers, like Indigenous Mayor Feliciana Herrera and others, to address Congress. Briefing the Senate. Sounding the alarm on corruption. Keeping you updated and ready to act—because Guatemala’s democracy is on the line. Thank you for standing with us!
Adelante,
Vicki Gass
LAWG Executive Director
