Chapter Two. The Democratic Transition

Abstract

This chapter presents a historical discussion of the democratic transition in Guatemala, analysing the relationship between civil actors and the process of democratic transition. It discusses how the specific mechanisms and norms of civil inclusion instituted through the peace process, such as the National Reconciliation Commission (La Comision Nacional de Reconciliacion, CNR), established in 1989, and the Civil Society Assembly (Asamblea de la Sociedad Civil, ASC) set up in 1994, permitted civil society participation in the democratisation process and impacted upon the social movements themselves. Viewed in comparative perspective, Guatemala?s process of democratisation is distinct from other Latin American transitions. The early 1980s was a period of economic recession and instability in Guatemala, as it was in other Latin American countries, such as Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Brazil.Keywords: civil actors; de la Sociedad Civil (ASC); democratic transition; democratisation; Guatemala; La Comision Nacional de Reconciliacion (CNR); Latin American