The negotiations resulted in the signing of "The Accord for a Firm and Lasting Peace" by the government of Guatemala and the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG) on December 29, 1996.
[1] However, Guatemalan civil rights organizations "have argued that [the government's] failing to fully implement the accords has led to an emerging threat of authoritarianism" in the country.
[3] After a series of dictatorships supported by the United States, Guatemala was greatly pressured internationally to make efforts towards reincorporating democracy.
Prior to this, in 1983, the Contadora Group in the Americas, which was an initiative formed by Mexico, Venezuela, and Colombia, began promoting peace in the Central American countries undergoing internal conflicts (El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Guatemala).
The document did not fully receive the support of the United States and was ultimately rejected by three of the Central American countries (Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica) in 1986.
In August 1987, all five countries signed the Esquipulas II Accord, which drew heavily from the previous Contadora Act on Peace and Cooperation.
The Esquipulas II Accord also created the National Reconciliation Commission (NRC), which allowed for a civil influence on the peace process.
Starting in 1988 and continuing for the following years, the NRC and URNG met on several occasions and engaged in peace talks, but did not come to an end to the Guatemalan civil war.
However, there was strong opposition by civilians and the Constitutional Court and Serrano Elías ultimately fled to El Salvador on June 2, failing in his attempts towards dictatorship.
The congress then named Ramiro de León Carpio, who was the country's Human Rights Ombudsman, as president for the time remaining of Serrano's original presidential term.
President de Leon made an initial proposal to restart the peace process, which was rejected by the Unidad Revolucionaria Nacional Guatemalteca (URNG).
It also established an instrumental "Group of Friends" to the Guatemalan peace process that consisted of the governments of Colombia, Mexico, Norway, Spain, the United States of America and Venezuela.
[6] Under this new moderation structure, the Guatemalan government and the URNG continued to make efforts to achieve a Firm and Lasting Peace in Guatemala.
This agreement targeted the safe reintegration of the previously mentioned population into their homelands prior to the armed conflict, as well as the reestablishment of state power, much of which had been lost to municipal governments.
This commission was not given any legal power but was instead expected to collect information and give recommendations to address human rights violations resulting from the conflict.
[4][7] Later in 1995, democratic elections were held and the candidate of the National Advancement Party (PAN), Álvaro Arzú, won the presidency to the populist runner-up Alfonso Portillo.
[10][4] Later that year, in September, they signed the Agreement on the Strengthening of Civil Power and the Function of the Army in a Democratic Society, which had the main goal of establishing a stable democracy and moving the country away from the previous prevalence of authoritarian military rule.
These 10 are as follows: The third section recognizes the support and role of entities such as the ASC, the United Nations, and the countries part of the Group of Friends to the Guatemalan Peace Process.
Thousands of people attended this signing ceremony, which was held in front of the National Palace and projected on large screens in the main square.
A poll conducted by Prensa Libre, a national newspaper, showed that 78% of respondents agreed with the accords but only 38% believed these peace negotiations "would be respected".
Furthermore, there was significant pressure from international entities who had contributed resources and money to the peace process, many of which were conditional on the right implementation of established accords.
Therefore, the challenges and inability to comply with parts of the peace accords has led to budget cuts that further complicate the fulfillment of promised changes.