Spanish translation below / Traducción al español a continuación
The American Bar Association (ABA) held an interview with Gustavo Solórzano to learn about his experience as technical secretary of the Nominating Board, as well as to learn about the effectiveness of the technical support ABA ROLI provided to the Board.
Do you consider that the assistance provided by ABA to the Nominating Board was important? Why?
The support of the ABA was very valuable, timely, and collaborative. The Nominating Board received many useful documents that served as a base to complement what we had. It was quite a technical job, there was no political influence, and all inputs and contributions were received and valued.
Do you consider that the technical support received contributed to a fair and transparent process?
A positive reform was that even when the Nominating Board was not in session, the Technical Secretariat managed to continue the work being done and always supported any urgent matter. Even in times of convocations, denunciations, and receipt of documents we were present, and I hope this is incorporated into other future processes.
What are your recommendations so that the selection process to be carried out by the next Nominating Board in 2030 is successful?
We need profound changes. We must analyze what we want from a Court that changes every seven years. We must preserve the memory of the Court, changes cause the institutional memory to be lost and we are burying and rebuilding what has already been worked on, that is why we are going backward. The overall process needs more time, it was too short, but luckily the members were competent and allowed for the process to be completed on time. I recommend clarifying aspects of the law that have gaps in interpretation. And most importantly, the trust and commitment of the Nominating Board to the interests of Honduras.
What expectations do you have of the new Supreme Court of Justice?
The selection process of the 45 candidates was a healthy process. I'm worried about what happened in the end. There are many good lawyers who do not participate because they are not part of a political party and the best qualified were left out. The message sent by the National Congress is that we should not participate if we do not have a political flag and as a society, we must find ways to counteract this in the future, especially now that the process for Attorney General is underway.
This blog was prepared by staff of the American Bar Association Center for Global Programs and reflects their views. It has not been reviewed or approved by the House of Delegates or the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association and, accordingly, should not be construed as representing the position of the Association or any of its entities. Further, nothing in this blog should be considered as legal advice in a specific case.