Fidel Reyes Lee gathers Guatemalan university rectors before CGC postulation vote

Rector Fidel Reyes Lee, president of the Forum of Rectors, convened a dozen university leaders for a luncheon on 10 July in Guatemala City. The meeting was described as a routine mid‑year gathering, but sources said its purpose was to secure support for Walter Mazariegos, rector of the Universidad de San Carlos, in the upcoming election for president of the commission that will nominate candidates for the Contralor General de Cuentas (CGC). The commission’s president will be chosen on 15 July, and the elected rector will steer the selection process that determines which six candidates are presented to Congress for the CGC.

Mazariegos, who began a new term on 1 July, faces accusations of fraud and lacks the required finiquito to continue leading the state university. Opposition groups (USAC‑DIRE) have challenged his accreditation, while analysts note that control of the CGC is crucial for the 2027 general elections because the office issues the financial clearances needed for candidacy registration. The luncheon was held in a hotel in zone 13 that is under judicial intervention for alleged links to the collapsed Bancafé. Reyes Lee denied actively campaigning for any candidate, insisting that the future commission president must remain neutral.