OAS Special Mission in Guatemala Calls on State Authorities to Prevent the Completion of a Flawed Process at USAC

Press Release

OAS Special Mission in Guatemala Calls on State Authorities to Prevent the Completion of a Flawed Process at USAC

Following up on its statements of March 28 and 31, 2026, the Special Mission of the Organization of American States (OAS) for the Strengthening of Democratic Institutions in Guatemala expresses its grave concern over the escalation of events that threaten to irreversibly compromise the legality, legitimacy, and security of the election for rector of the University of San Carlos of Guatemala (USAC) scheduled for tomorrow, April 8.

Less than twenty-four hours before the formation of the University Electoral Body (CEU), the Mission has been informed that:

a) hooded individuals carrying sticks, bats, and blunt instruments continue to occupy the Main Campus, preventing students, faculty, and staff from entering, with at least one student injured, creating a climate of intimidation incompatible with the right to participate and with the principles of university life;

b) of 34 electoral bodies, only 8 have been accredited by the CSU-at least 6 of which are aligned with the current administration-while 21 bodies won by the opposition remain excluded on grounds that various sectors describe as mere pretexts;

c) multiple injunctions regarding the composition of the Higher University Council and the accreditation of voters remain unresolved;

and d) the venue outside the USAC Main Campus, at the Hotel Museo Casa Santo Domingo in Antigua Guatemala, raises concerns about access for voters, observers, and the press.

In light of the gravity of these events and the approaching election day, the Mission issues the following urgent appeals:

• To the Executive Branch: University autonomy (Article 82 of the Political Constitution of the Republic) is an institutional safeguard designed to protect academic freedom, internal self-organization, and the self-governance of the university, and cannot be invoked as a justification for the State's failure to act in the face of criminal acts, acts of violence, or the violation of fundamental rights on university grounds. Autonomy protects the university from undue interference by political power, but it does not create a space of impunity, nor does it exempt the State from its constitutional obligation to guarantee the life, integrity, and safety of all persons. Accordingly, the Mission urges the Executive Branch to: i) implement adequate and immediate security measures for voters, candidates, observers, and journalists before, during, and after election day; and ii) act decisively in response to reports of armed individuals, masked shock groups, and acts of physical violence within and around university facilities, exercising in a reasonable and proportionate manner the powers conferred upon it by the Constitution and the laws regarding public order. University autonomy cannot be used as a pretext for inaction in the face of criminal conduct that affects members of the university community and society at large.

• To the Human Rights Ombudsperson: Urges the Human Rights Ombudsperson to fully exercise his constitutional powers, as set forth in Articles 273 through 275 of the Constitution, to investigate and denounce the human rights violations occurring in the context of this university election process, including physical assaults against students, acts of intimidation, threats, and restrictions on the right to political participation of the 170 voters who make up the CEU. Likewise, it urges the Ombudsperson to protect the right to vote and to be elected of the members of the electoral bodies who were validly appointed through internal elections and who remain excluded from the process without sufficient justification. The Office of the Human Rights Ombudsperson has the authority to file constitutional actions for personal appearance and for protection; and the gravity of the situation demands that these tools be used in a timely and determined manner.

• To the Constitutional Court, the Courts of Appeal, and the lower courts: It urges the judicial bodies hearing the injunction proceedings and constitutional appeals regarding the composition of the Higher University Council (CSU) and the swearing-in and accreditation of the electoral bodies to resolve these matters with the speed demanded by the urgency of the case, giving priority to the protection of the fundamental rights of participation, expression, equality, and due process. If the timely resolution of these appeals is not materially possible before April 8, the Mission considers it essential that the competent courts address with the utmost diligence and promptness the constitutional actions seeking to reschedule the election, in order to prevent a process that is inherently null and void from producing irreversible legal effects.

• To the Higher University Council: It reiterates its call for the accreditation of the pending electoral bodies to be carried out immediately, using uniform, objective, non-discriminatory, and duly substantiated criteria. The CSU cannot, without compromising the legitimacy of the process, proceed with an election with a minority faction of the University Electoral Body that was elected under conditions that broad sectors justifiably question as biased. The Mission warns that an election held under these conditions will deepen the institutional crisis at USAC, generate new legal disputes, and compromise the credibility of the decisions the university makes in the country's institutional processes, which depend on its legitimate participation.

The Mission recalls that the University of San Carlos of Guatemala is the country's only public university, that its constitutional mandate extends beyond the academic sphere, and that its legitimate participation in the State's institutional processes is a prerequisite for the credibility of the Guatemalan democratic system as a whole. What happens tomorrow will not only define the institution's future for the coming years, but will also send an unequivocal signal regarding the capacity of the State and Guatemalan society to defend their democratic institutions.

Reference: E-041/26