In 2020, the president of the republic continued on a dangerous path of succeeding democratic institutions.
The young Salvadoran democracy, under the chairmanship of Nayib Bukele, faces some of its greatest challenges.
The most visible democratic setback occurred on February 9, when the president commanded the military and police takeover of the Legislative Palace in order to unnecessarily pressure delegates to approve a loan.
This raised hard questions from the international community, who discovered that the “youthful and fresh” president was pursuing rotten practices of political bullying and authoritarianism.
Also read: Abuse of power by Bukele led the US to stop military aid to El Salvador
Likewise, the president continued the practices of previous governments to disqualify the Constitutional Chamber when it limited its power, especially when she banned the police from making illegal arrests, something that encouraged the president to keep doing it.
These are the signs of abuse of power committed by the Salvadoran government in 2020.
According to the script of other authoritarian leaders in the world, Bukele has obstructed control institutions, manipulated the security forces to bend them to his political agenda, and flirted with militarism.
Likewise, it has launched attacks on opponents, who have been given the weight of the state to question the management of the government.
Enemy of the press, of the issues of professional and technical sectors, the President and his officials have spared no resources to insult, belittle and harass them.
Things not to forget:
9F
The day the government’s democratic mask fell and its authoritarian impulse to forcibly pressurize and co-opt was revealed instead of negotiating and dialoguing to find political solutions. That day, Bukele used the security forces as armed arms of his whims and as tools to harass and intimidate his opponents.
Since 9F, Nayib Bukele’s democratic mask collapsed, and the United States began to see its proximity to authoritarianism. Photo EDH / Archives
Human rights violations
An important pillar of authoritarianism is the disregard for citizens’ fundamental rights. During the early months of the pandemic, Bukele supported arbitrary arrests and abuse of power, in addition to tackling the health crisis with an improvisation and a militarized touch.
Challenge to the room
The Bukele government has openly defied court orders. On April 16, the president said he would not abide by the ruling prohibiting him from arbitrarily arresting suspected offenders of the incarceration and encouraged police to continue. In addition, the officials have repeated this disobedience.
A report from the UCA coincides with the reports of the Office of the Attorney for the Defense of Human Rights on the violations committed by the government during the illegal detentions and in the “detention centers”. Photo EDH / Archives
Weaken settings
In addition to his constant attacks on the deputies and the Constitutional Chamber, the President constantly strikes other institutions that monitor his management, such as the Court of Auditors or the IAIP. This makes it easier for him to rule without limits and not be subject to commands that contradict his whims.
The latest appointments of commissioners to the IAIP threaten the independence of this institution, experts in the field of transparency criticize. Photo EDH / Archives
Politicizes PNC and Armed Forces
The president despises the peace agreements and apparently one of their most important achievements: professionalization of the security forces. On the contrary, he has used them as tools to promote his political intentions, which have led to human rights abuses and crimes.
The police chief was fired for dereliction of duty for a mistake in the proceedings, but the judge reminded him that “we are not in the monarchy” and must obey the laws. Photo EDH