San Salvador.
Marked as authoritarian and populist by his opponents but strengthened by him partyor whoever helped create, the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, you can use the control of Parliament Y win the majority of the municipalitys in the elections Sunday, and make sure the control of the land.
If the projections of the opinion polls be fulfilled “would be one concentration of power Bee President of the Republicas it could be passing, reforming or repealing laws to his ease”Saúl Baños, the director of the Foundation for Studies for the Application of Law (Fespad), told AFP.
The New Ideas (NI) party, promoted by Watch, according to everyone, leads the preferences for elections opinion pollsCurrently, the legislature is controlled by the opposition parties Arena (right) and the exguerrilla FMLN (left), which provide the counterbalance.
It’s possible that “infer” new ideas Will get 55 alternates, one less than the qualified majority, said Central American University (UCA) rector Andreu Oliva, presenting the February 12 su latest poll on this election.
Baños recalled that since the signing of the Peace agreements in 1992 that ended twelve years civil war, no party has la simple majority of 43 alternates in the one-chamber congress with 84 seats, so dialogue had to triumph to rule.
Independence at risk
“If the electoral scenario is favorable (for Bukele), comes one deep change in constitutional and institutional affairs, ” Baños warns, referring to the fact that since last year a committee chaired by the vice president, happy Ulloa, study one constitutional reform.
Ulloa has ruled that out since then reforms It is intended to change “stone” aspects such as variety in the presidency.
If the president obtains the majority in the legislative assembly, according to Baños, a “risk to the country“It would be that the president could call it officials to people who “their independent “.
For Baños, the nearly two years of management dand Bukele have been characterized by some “authoritarian actions” so the “concentration of power” can be used to “make small decisions democratic “.
About 5.4 million on Sunday Salvadorans must elect the new congress, 262 mayors of the country and a number of delegates from Central American Parliament (Parlacen), an institution dedicated to regional integration.
The elected officials take up their mandate from three years on May 1.
Responds to needs
“The best ally the government (of Bukele) at the moment is not one political party, they are the same people, ”political analyst and university professor Dagoberto Gutiérrez told AFP.
Conservative and with a management of populist court, the president has the traditional celebrations and accuses them of it have done nothing for him pueblo.
Watch is being bad competent and intelligent as it responds the needs of peopleteaches food, she gave money, gives other help that no one has ever given to his own pueblo and that’s its potential, ”Gutiérrez summarizes.
By covid-19 pandemic, Bukele since April last year it delivered a voucher of $ 300 for families in needs and then distributed food among the citizens.
Although, if Bukele obtains a majority, “that does not mean that the people issue a blank check, no, on the contrary, they force the government to comply what has promised “, the analyst considers.
Between the promises that Watch must meet, according to Gutiérrez, is that of generate work and find one improving the economy.
Watch came to power nearly two years ago, and he still has three of the mandate. But it will only matter May 1, when the new parliament takes over, that will begin to govern because, according to Gutiérrez, the opposition parties have not allowed it “to have.” made everything difficult and that has taken its toll “.
Democracy or authoritarianism
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Mario Ponce, who seeks his re-election What deputy, warned that the country has only two routes: “the path of democracy and freedom and the path of authoritarianism where they limit freedoms and all types of individual and collective rights are violated ”.
If the Salvadorans want “live in democracy “ must be one balance of power in the country and that has been historically maintained, which has forced governments to seek alliances to rule.
Ponce warned the government of Bukele se is characterized by the “authoritarianism“, for which he deemed it necessary for” the people to vote and maintain “the counterweights of democracy” in Congress.