The presidency of the candidate for head of the Comptroller General of Accounts (CGC) will be defined among the rectors of the 17 universities that are legally accredited in the country; At least six would be willing to support Walter Mazariegos, rector of the University of San Carlos de Guatemala (Usac), to direct the process, according to sources who confided the information to this newspaper.
People close to some universities, and rectors who will participate in the decisions of the current process, confirmed to Free press that in recent weeks a group has moved that is interested in capitalizing support for the rector of USAC, as well as expediting the meeting of the Rectors’ Forum, where the presidency of the commission will be defined.
The candidate for the renewal of the CGC takes on particular relevance next year, since in addition to supervising public resources, it will have a vital role in the 2027 general elections, as it is the entity that issues the Transitory Certificate of Non-existence of Claim for Charges, popularly known as settlement, which becomes an essential requirement for the registration of candidates for the general votes.
From this account, the group that directs the CGC could focus on objective work and deliver these documents in accordance with the law, or on the contrary, place obstacles that could result in the non-registration of candidates for the 2027 elections.
The CGC goes from being a supervisory body to a vital agency for the future democratic event, according to observers, who already warn that the academy must be objective when appointing its president and the work of selecting candidates.
Call to rectors
In 2018 and 2022, the Rectors’ Forum defined the presidencies of the nomination committees for CGC in June, but for this 2026, some rectors had suggested it would be appropriate to move the election to July, since Academic activities in most of the country’s universities are suspended due to a half-year break or change of cycles.; However, a group of rectors wants to define the postulator’s presidency in the coming days.
The sources directly indicate to the rector of the Rural University, and also a deputy, Fidel Reyes Lee, that he is seeking a prompt election in the Rectors’ Forum, and to consolidate the necessary votes for Mazariegos.
Reyes Lee denied that he was seeking to influence the election and seek support for the rector of USAC. “There is nothing like that, they are pure speculation, they are speculation and bad faith on the part of some,” he insisted.
Although he rejected the accusations, Reyes Lee did announce that this week Luis Contreras, president of Congress, would be convening the rectors, a point that was confirmed by this medium with the communications department of Congress, which announced that on Friday Contreras will convene the Rectors’ Forum.
Reyes Lee, although he assures that he has no inclination towards Mazariegos, and highlights that until now there are no defined candidacies, one of the criteria for choosing the president of the candidate is that he stands out for his independence.
“In a word, be neutral. Universities have ideological and philosophical positions; therefore, the person in that position must be neutral, not leaning to any side because the country is polarized by those trends that are harming the country,” he concluded.
Support for Usac
Rectors of the 17 universities that currently operate in the country participate in this application committee for CGC candidates. Among them are the Juan José Arévalo Bermejo University and the American University, the most recently created.
The minimum quorum of the Rectors’ Forum will be nine attendees. The election of the president of the commission will be done with the vote in favor of half plus one of the rectors presentwhich could give an advantage to Mazariegos, given the possible absence of academics who oppose him, if for scheduling reasons they cannot attend a potential call during this month.
The six votes that sources indicate that Mazariegos could have in favor are his own, from Usac, from the Juan José Arévalo Bermejo University, the American University, the Rural University, the University of the West and the Pan American University.
On the USAC side, there is no communication channel with the press, so it was not possible to obtain an opinion regarding the allegations. The Juan José Arévalo Bermejo University has a telephone contact on its website that, when dialed, indicates that it is not enabled.
An interview was requested with the rector of the American University, Sergio Méndez, who explained that due to scheduling reasons he could not attend an interview and when I insisted hours later, he no longer responded.
At the University of the West, the number listed on its website was called, but no one answered the call. In the case of the Universidad Panamericana, direct communication was attempted to the personal telephone number of the rector, Mynor Herrera, but he did not respond.
They reject Mazariegos
The echo of possible support from academics for Walter Mazariegos made the organizations that make up Relatives and Friends against Crime and Kidnapping (FADS) speak out against the possible candidacy.
They criticized on their social networks how the previous election of the Rectors’ Forum in favor of Mynor Herrera, in the nomination of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), was, in their opinion, harmful, since this rector leaned on the side of Mazariegos.
Sources close to the universities agree that for the TSE postulator in the Rectors’ Forum, the previous agreements were broken, in which it had been agreed that Roberto Moreno, rector of the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala, would chair that commission. Now, it would be more difficult to reach prior agreements, because there is mistrust, a rector confided to Free presswho asked to omit his identity.
Always under condition of anonymity, another academic indicated that Mazariegos’ role as president would not be correct, since there are doubts about his election in the USAC, which, despite the resolutions, is not firm, not to mention that to date Mazariegos does not have a final settlement to legally assume a new term.
Dear rectors: most of you caused serious damage to the country, with the elected representative to nominate candidates for the TSE.
Do not cause further harm with your representative to preside over the nomination process for comptroller general candidates.
Don’t choose Mazariegos! pic.twitter.com/OMuAKErXn0— FADS (@FADSGuatemala) June 10, 2026
The universities of the country
- University of San Carlos (USAC)
- Rafael Landívar University (URL)
- University of the Valley of Guatemala (UVG)
- Mariano Gálvez University of Guatemala (UMG)
- Francisco Marroquín University (UFM)
- Rural University of Guatemala
- University of the Isthmus (UNIS)
- Pan American University (UPANA)
- Mesoamerican University (UMES)
- Galileo University
- San Pablo University of Guatemala
- InterNations University
- University of the West
- Da Vinci University of Guatemala
- Regional University of Guatemala
- Juan José Arévalo Bermejo University
- American University
