The Congress of Guatemala concludes its first ordinary session with divisions and pending reforms.

The Congress of Guatemala concludes its first ordinary period of 2025 with only 14 decrees approved, marked by divisions between political factions and leaving important reforms pending for the next stage. (Illustrative Image Infobae) The first ordinary session of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala ends on May 15th, after four months of legislative activity marked by political differences and pending agendas that, according to its participants, will continue to condition parliamentary work. While some deputies claim that significant progress has been made, others question the limited number of laws passed and warn that fragmentation and the pre-electoral climate undermined the performance of legislators, according to interviews with deputies. At the end of this stage, the number that defines the legislative year is particularly relevant: according to the first vice-president of the Board of Directors of the Congress, Nery Ramos, the current legislature has approved 14 decrees to date this year, and 64 in the previous two years, a number that, he said, "is a quite significant output compared to other legislatures." Ramos added that the diversity of the tenth legislature implies negotiating with seventeen different blocs and nearly thirty-two faction leaders, which requires seeking consensus to guide the agenda. Starting in 2026, the Congress held plenary sessions, approved decrees, and debated initiatives between January 14th and May 15th, in accordance with Article 158 of the Constitution. As of May 16th, deputies enter a recess and can only be convened for extraordinary sessions by the Permanent Commission, until the resumption of ordinary sessions on August 1st. The anti-money laundering law, port reforms, and regulatory modernization, among other issues, remain under discussion this Tuesday, when the last plenary session for the approval of decrees is held, as Thursday is reserved for the interpellation of the Minister of Social Development, Abelardo Pinto. Visual representation of the 14 laws approved by the Congress of Guatemala, symbolizing the legislative activity and governance of the country. (Illustrative Image Infobae) For Deputy Sonia Gutiérrez, of the Winaq faction, the legislative output was far below expectations. Gutiérrez emphasized in an interview: "It was very unproductive from my point of view, because only fourteen decrees have been approved by the Congress so far." The deputy attributes this result to the pre-electoral environment and the tension between factions: "Everyone wants to advance their own agenda and we are not really addressing issues of national interest." In contrast, Lucrecia Marroquín, of the Unionista faction, stated that the parliamentary work was "the most productive legislative period of the entire tenth legislature." Marroquín highlighted work on education issues, such as laws for cooperative schools and normal schools, and celebrated the open dialogue under the presidency of Luis Contreras: "It has been a presidency that has allowed dialogue, that has respected all deputies regardless of the party they belong to." Byron Rodríguez, of the TODOS faction, also defended the productivity of the Congress. In a dialogue, he said: "I believe that the first ordinary period of this year 2025, in very concrete terms, was very productive. The objectives were achieved as established by the calendar presented by the Board of Directors, headed by President Luis Contreras." He also acknowledged the need to advance on pending issues such as reforms to the January Law and the national port regulations. For Deputy Sergio Celis, of the CABAL faction, the period was positive, although it left some issues unresolved. Celis recalled that the recess "is not a holiday, it is not a vacation" and highlighted the achievements, but also acknowledged the pending issues. He also emphasized the importance of international standards. Gutiérrez pointed out that the performance of the Congress should be judged more by the quality than by the quantity of decrees: "I also think that we should evaluate the Congress not only quantitatively, but also qualitatively. Even if there are only five decrees, but they are of interest and benefit to the country, that has a significant impact." The weight of the minority factions in the recent second-round elections was also highlighted by Gutiérrez, who stated: "The minority factions did play a decisive role, because we prioritized strengthening the Electoral Supreme Court to prevent it from being controlled by political patronage, as has traditionally been the case." In a summary of future challenges, Nery Ramos pointed out that, although there have been important advances, legislative debts remain: the anti-money laundering law, reforms to USI, civil service regulations, the electoral and political parties law, and the law on procurement and contracts await resolution in the coming months.