Lawyers agreed that the president does not have the legal authority to change a legislative decree.
Lawyers agreed that President Nayib Bukele cannot change the nature of the legislative act that declares January 16 each year as National Day of Peace to commemorate the signing of the peace accords that ended 12 years of conflict. armed in the country.
Bukele wrote on his Twitter account last Saturday that “by presidential decree January 16 will be ‘the day of the victims of the armed conflict’.”
“We will start by commemorating those who should be remembered. This is how we will start building peace, ”he wrote.
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For ARENA’s deputy and lawyer, René Portillo Cuadra, the President of the Republic has no legal powers to change the date declared by legislative decree as a national holiday or its nature.
“Acts to be amended must pass through the Legislative Assembly. The president of the republic has no legislative powers to proclaim or decree a date of a national character, changing the nature and meaning or purpose for which it was created, ”said Portillo Cuadra.
Lawyer Marcela Galeas stated that Decree Law 139 of 1992 stipulates that every January 16 will be the National Day of Peace, commemorating the signing of the peace accords.
He assured that this is not the responsibility of the President of the Republic as National Days can only be proclaimed by the Legislative Assembly.
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He added that Bukele “seeing that society condemned this anti-historic position, in which he treated the armed conflict with contempt, and the attainment of national peace, which caused us so much pain to Salvadorans, he wanted to diminish it by a national day. even knowing that it is not legally his responsibility to do so, ”said Galeas.
Portillo Cuadra pointed out that Bukele, in his eagerness to denature democracy and the peace accords, “wants to focus the celebration on the victims. It is clear that when the signing of the peace accords are celebrated, it includes the memory of the victims who died and the destruction that took place ”.
Lawyer Humberto Sáenz wrote on his Twitter account: “No, President. On this day we will continue to commemorate the peace agreements. It’s not you telling us what to celebrate, or what to call it ”.
Patrick Murray wrote on a Twitter account that “January 16 will be Peace Agreement Day, as long as the public keeps calling and remembering him.”
