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called for in the accords, however, has been a daunting task. A major blow to the
implementation of the peace accords came in 1999 after a constitutional referen-
dum defeated 50 proposed reforms. Although the peace accords called for only
12suchchanges,itisbelieved thatmanyGuatemalans votedagainst thepackage
of 50 reforms because they simply felt uninformed about what they were vot-
ing to approve. The government did little to explain the nature of the numerous
complexreformsortopromotetheirapproval.Voterapathywaswidespreadwith
just 18 percent of eligible voters participating in the referendum. In areas where
voters were mostly in favor of the reforms, mainly the rural areas most affected
by the civil war, voter turnout was generally less than in the capital, which voted
overwhelmingly against them.
Whatever the reasons, failure to implement the key changes to Guatemala's
legalframeworktoallowfullimplementationoftheaccordsmeantchangewould
have to come via the legislature. In Guatemala, this is easier said than done. The
Portillo administration, in office from 2001 to 2004, was particularly reluctant
to implement the main elements of the accords or to use them as a basis for the
elaboration of government policy Observers pointed out that the peace process
stalled, and in many cases receded, under Portillo. Among the most critical areas
requiring immediate attention were human rights, justice, and security.
The peace accords were officially taken up again by the Berger administration
as government policy with concrete plans for new legislation to address many
of the pending elements of the agreements. Many laws associated with the ac-
cords had trouble making their way through Congress, however, in a legislative
assembly that was notorious for its inability to reach consensus on many issues.
On a positive note, the reduction of the military by one-third was completed, as
stipulatedintheaccords,andaplanforitsmodernizationisintheworks.Itsoffi-
cial mandate now includes protecting the country's borders and combating drug
traffic, environmental depredation, and smuggling of illegal immigrants.
In the end it can be said that the peace accords have brought some degree of
benefit to Guatemalan society. Some of the agreements have been fully com-
plied with, state repression ended, and some opening for political participation
has been opened up in recent years. There are still, however, many lingering is-
sues, including lack of security, poverty, socioeconomic exclusion, and a high
degree of confrontation between varying sectors of society. Structural problems
alsopersist,acaseinpointbeingtheglaringdeficiencies inthejudiciary,leaving
itopentomanipulationandcorruptionwhilepreventingitfrombeingtrulyatthe
serviceofthecountry'scitizenry.Inessence,whatweareseeingisareflectionof
the peace accords' intimate connection to the process of Guatemala's continued
democratization. Ironically,itisthisveryprocessofdemocratization that opened
