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I POLITICAL OVERVIEW

Guatemala held general elections in December 1999 and elected Alfonso Portillo as president, bringing the Guatemalan Republican Front (FRG) into power. The elections were the first since the government and the former guerrilla movement and emerging third political force, Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity (URNG), signed the UN-sponsored peace accords in December 1996. The agreement ended a bitter civil war that killed nearly 150,000 Guatemalans and produced countless human rights abuses.

Since then, hopes were high for more equal political participation among the country?s 21 Mayan groups, who comprise as much as 60 percent of the population of Guatemala, estimated at more than 11 million. A constitutional referendum held in May 1999 was supposed to consolidate the peace process, however it instead prompted further polarization of the country?s varied ethnic population. As a result, there are many challenges to be addressed as Guatemala transforms its political process, including low confidence in political institutions and lack of political participation.

The constitutional reforms were rejected by approximately 56 percent of those who voted, even though they were previously approved by all of the major political parties as part of the peace process. A total of 47 constitutional amendments were presented in four packages, including the recognition of the 24 Guatemalan indigenous groups, overhauling the executive, legislative and judicial branches of the government and limiting the power of the Guatemalan army. Some of the reasons for the failure of the constitutional referendum highlighted by Guatemalan civic leaders and political analysts were:

* A weak education program by political parties and international donor community;
* A closed process between the two largest political parties who did not incorporate major sectors of the society; and
* A general lack of credibility of political institutions.