ABSTRACT
In his October 16, 1998, speech presenting the third verification report, MINUGUA director Jean Arnault highlighted the historic significance of the long-awaited congressional approval of the constitutional reforms. Aside from demonstrating the endlessly convoluted and byzantine nature of Guatemalan politics, this tale of the first attempted hijacking is instructive regarding the agendas of different political forces. The Arzú government, while presumably committed to rapid approval of the reforms, decided to declare a "state of calamity" in Guatemala—nominally to prevent looting. This chapter focuses on three of the most prominent actors in regard to the peace process—the principal dynamic being the political/cultural interaction among Dinosaurs, politicians, and Mayan organizations as new political actors. The two major political parties, the PAN and the Frente Republicano Guatemalteco (FRG), did virtually nothing to conduct a responsible campaign for the Si. The PANista president of Congress declared that he considered "the legislative agenda of the peace accords to have been aborted" or canceled.
