Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court or Corte de Constitutcionalidad is Guatemala's
highest court (five judges are elected for concurrent five-year
terms by Congress, each serving one year as president of the
Constitutional Court; one is elected by Congress, one elected by the
Supreme Court of Justice, one appointed by the President, one
elected by Superior Counsel of Universidad San Carlos de Guatemala,
and one by Colegio de Abogados); Supreme Court of Justice or Corte
Suprema de Justicia (thirteen members serve concurrent five-year
terms and elect a president of the Court each year from among their
number; the president of the Supreme Court of Justice also
supervises trial judges around the country, who are named to
five-year terms)
Political parties and leaders:
Authentic Integral Development or DIA [Eduardo SUGER]; Democratic
Union or UD [Rodolfo PAIZ Andrade]; Grand National Alliance or GANA
[Oscar BERGER Perdomo]; Green Party or LOV [Rodolfo ROSALES
Garcis-Salaz]; Guatemalan Christian Democracy or DCG [Vinicio CEREZO
Arevalo]; Guatemalan National Revolutionary Unity or URNG [Alba
ESTELA Maldonado, secretary general]; Guatemalan Republican Front or
FRG [Efrain RIOS Montt]; Movement for Guatemalan Unity or MGU
[Jacobo ARBENZ Villanueva]; Movement for Principals and Values or
MPV [Francisco BIANCHI]; National Advancement Party or PAN [Leonel
LOPEZ Rodas, secretary general]; National Unity for Hope or UNE
[Alvarado COLOM Caballeros]; New Nation Alliance or ANN, formed by
an alliance of DIA, URNG, and several splinter groups most of whom
subsequently defected [led by three co-equal partners - Nineth
Varenca MONTENEGRO Cottom, Rodolfo BAUER Paiz, and Jorge Antonio
BALSELLS TUT]; Patriot Party or PP [retired General Otto PEREZ
Molina]; Progressive Liberator Party or PLP [Acisclo VALLADARES
Molina]; Reform Movement or MR [Alfredo SKINNER-KLEE, secretary
general]; Unionista Party [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Agrarian Owners Group or UNAGRO; Alliance Against Impunity or AAI;
Committee for Campesino Unity or CUC; Coordinating Committee of
Agricultural, Commercial, Industrial, and Financial Associations or
CACIF; Mutual Support Group or GAM
International organization participation:
BCIE, CACM, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM,
OAS, ONUB, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOCI, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Guillermo CASTILLO chancery: 2220 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco FAX: [1] (202) 745-1908 telephone: [1] (202) 745-4952
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John R. HAMILTON embassy: 7-01 Avenida Reforma, Zone 10, Guatemala City mailing address: APO AA 34024 telephone: [502] 2331-1541/55 FAX: [502] 2334-8477
Flag description:
three equal vertical bands of light blue (hoist side), white, and
light blue with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the
coat of arms includes a green and red quetzal (the national bird)
and a scroll bearing the inscription LIBERTAD 15 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE
1821 (the original date of independence from Spain) all superimposed
on a pair of crossed rifles and a pair of crossed swords and framed
by a wreath
Economy Guatemala
Economy - overview:
Guatemala is the largest and most populous of the Central American
countries with a GDP per capita roughly one-half that of Brazil,
Argentina, and Chile. The agricultural sector accounts for about
one-fourth of GDP, two-thirds of exports, and half of the labor
force. Coffee, sugar, and bananas are the main products. The 1996
signing of peace accords, which ended 36 years of civil war, removed
a major obstacle to foreign investment, but widespread political
violence and corruption scandals continue to dampen investor
confidence. The distribution of income remains highly unequal, with
perhaps 75% of the population below the poverty line. Ongoing
challenges include increasing government revenues, negotiating
further assistance from international donors, upgrading both
government and private financial operations, curtailing drug
trafficking, and narrowing the trade deficit.
GDP:
purchasing power parity - $56.5 billion (2003 est.)