On Tuesday, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei replaced his Interior Minister Gendri Reyes with retired military Napoleon Barrientos, who was Defense Staff Assistant Chief between 2014 and 2015.
RELATED:
Guatemalan Carriers Protest Against Indemnity Insurance Paying
"Barrientos has a solid military career and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Human and Social Sciences from the Pontifical University of Salamanca. We are sure that he will do a nice job," the Presidency spokesperson Kevin Lopez stated.
Although Lopez did not detail the reasons why Reyes left office, he recalled that the Guatemalan Officials every year submit their position to the President, who assess their performance and goal fulfillment.
Barrientos will be the fourth person to serve as Interior Minister since Giammattei took office on Jan. 14, 2020. Before him, former military officer Edgar Godoy and former lawmaker Oliverio Garcia occupied the position.
Reyes' dismissal had been repeatedly speculated at the end of last year when social groups questioned his performance amid an increase of murders and violent acts, against which he had not devised a preventive strategy.
Since Monday, for instance, Guatemala has been semi-paralyzed by protests and blockades by carriers who oppose their obligation to pay liability insurance to third parties and occupants in traffic accidents cases.
“The National Civil Police will monitor the protests constantly and activate their protocols if the blockades persist since the citizen’s right to movement freedom cannot be violated under any concept," Reyes’ spokesperson Pablo Castillo stated.