On the 11^th of September, the Guatemalan Congress voted against lifting President Jimmy Morales’ immunity from prosecution. The vote transpired just hours after a congressional commission recommended the protection to be withdrawn to open the way for a possible trial surrounding allegations of illicit campaign financing.

The vote followed an announcement by the heads of the UN Anti-Corruption Commission (CICIG) in Guatemala, Thelma Adana and Ivan Velasquez, that they were seeking to strip Morales of his immunity. The Guatemalan Supreme Court stated that there appeared to be “sufficient evidence to allow the transfer of the case to Congress,” which would allow legislators to make the final decision on the issue.

However, the decision made by Congress in September does not mean the matter is settled for good. At the end of the vote, only 104 deputies rejected lifting his immunity, falling one short of the 105 vote threshold either for or against. As such, the matter will go into a dormant state to be reconsidered in another sitting session.

Morales has been accused of hiding over $825,000 of financing for his 2015 campaign. He also, allegedly, has other expenditures that have no explainable source of funding. Whilst the president denies all the allegations, Julio Ixcamey, the Commission President stated that there was evidence of unregistered money in campaign funds. Nonetheless, there is not sufficient evidence to state that Mr. Morales was directly involved. In response, Mr. Morales has expressed disdain for the work of the CICIG and the congressional commission, ordering Velasquez’s immediate expulsion from the country. The order was quickly overturned by the Constitutional Court.

Furthermore, the president issued a statement on Monday night supporting the congressional decision, stating that it “demonstrates the democratic maturity” of Guatemala’s institutions. He added that “God willing” he intends to stay in his post until the end of his term in January 2020.

Morales won the presidency in 2015 by running on a platform of honest governance. This was in direct response to the forced resignation of his predecessor Otto Perez Molina. Morales’ campaign slogan was “neither corrupt nor a thief.” In spite of this, recent allegations of illicit campaign financing have raised questions about the efficacy of Morales’ presidency.

Meanwhile, in protest of the decision and Morales’ Presidency, citizens declared a state of siege in the capital, which caused some ministers to resign.

With that said, as the opinion of Congress and Guatemalan citizens continue to diverge, Guatemala is hurtling towards a crisis. One of the organizers of the 2015 protest movement, Gabriel Wer wrote “You commit crimes and you blow up one of those who is investigating…this is unacceptable. Jimmy has to resign.” Protests resembling the 2015 movements have occurred both in the streets and on social media. Therefore, while the decision made by Congress is not final, it acts as a large obstacle to the fight against corruption.