Maya: Good morning, and welcome to Guatemala News for Saturday, October third. I'm Maya.
Devon: And I'm Devon. Maya, five stories today, starting with a legal fight brewing over the country's central bank.
Maya: That's right. President behr-NAHR-doh ah-REH-vah-loh swore in JAH-nah-tahn mehn-KOHS as president of the Bank of Guatemala, the bahn-GWAH, this past Thursday. Menkos will lead the central bank and the Monetary Board from now through September of twenty thirty.
Devon: But the business community is crying foul. The kah-SIF, the umbrella group for the country's business associations, filed an injunction with the Constitutional Court the very same day, arguing Menkos never properly resigned his seat in Congress.
Maya: The issue is technical but it matters. Menkos was elected to Congress for the twenty twenty four to twenty twenty eight term, held his seat for two days, then took an indefinite leave of absence to serve as finance minister. The kah-SIF says that leave ended the day he stopped being finance minister, and the law says the central bank's top job is incompatible with any other public office.
Devon: A second injunction came from former congressional president ah-LAHN roh-DREE-gehs, and now the Constitutional Court has given the presidency forty eight hours to explain the appointment. That deadline lands tomorrow, Sunday. The presidency insists the appointment follows the Constitution and the bank's organic law.
Maya: And in the shuffle, deh-BOH-rah ahl-vah-RAH-doh was named the new finance minister, replacing Menkos. This fight is now a real test of the bank's independence.
Devon: Second story, to the pitch. Guatemala's national team fought out a scoreless draw in soo-ree-NAHM last night, holding the hosts zero to zero in the third round of the LEE-gah deh nah-SYOH-nehs.
Maya: Goalkeeper KEHN-dehr-sohn nah-VAH-roh was the hero in pah-rah-mah-REE-boh, stopping chance after chance while Suriname dominated the first half. Guatemala played without the injured OHS-kahr sahn-TEES and the suspended DAHR-wehn lohm, and coach loo-EES fehr-NAHN-doh TEH-nah brought on Rudy Muñoz and heh-SOOS LOH-pehs after the break to steady the ship.
Devon: The point keeps Guatemala on four points in Group B while Suriname stays on top with seven. The two meet again Monday night at the ehl treh-BOHL stadium in Guatemala City at six in the evening local time, and Guatemala badly needs a win to keep its quarterfinal hopes alive.
Maya: Third, the domestic league, and what a finish in San Marcos. mahr-KEHN-seh came back from a goal down to beat Antigua two to one in last night's twelfth round opener.
Devon: dee-EH-goh fehr-NAHN-dehs put Antigua ahead early in the second half, but the home side refused to quit. A penalty two minutes into stoppage time tied the game, and mahr-KEHN-seh found the winner two minutes after that. The victory pushes the Leones to nineteen points, while Antigua suffered its third straight defeat.
Maya: Fourth, the economy. The bahn-GWAH projects the economy will grow four percent in twenty twenty seven, a steady outlook that the bank's new leadership inherits along with plenty of legal drama. Jobs and investment are flagged as the big challenges ahead.
Devon: And a striking statistic from the National Statistics Institute: roughly four hundred eleven thousand Guatemalans have emigrated since twenty eighteen and had not returned by the time of the count. Migration remains one of the defining stories of the country.
Maya: And finally, the weather. een-see-voo-MEH says the rain is staying. This weekend brings a wet pattern across most of the country, with warm humid mornings giving way to afternoon and evening downpours, sometimes severe, with strong gusts and hail.
Devon: Guatemala City will see highs between twenty six and twenty eight degrees Celsius, with storm chances rising later each day. The heaviest rain is expected in the west, the bocacosta, the central highlands, and the eastern valleys, with risks of river flooding, landslides, and lahars around the volcanoes. kohn-REHD is monitoring the situation and reminds everyone to call one nineteen in an emergency.
Maya: That's your Guatemala News for today. A legal showdown over the central bank, a hard earned draw in soo-ree-NAHM, a stoppage time comeback in San Marcos, a four percent growth forecast, and a rainy weekend on the way.
Devon: Thanks for listening. Have a great Saturday, and we'll see you tomorrow.