Posted on 05/12/2024 3:31:58 PM PDT by nickcarraway
With 54 out of 60 seats in Congress, President Nayib Bukele’s party holds significant influence over legislative decisions.
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele further solidified his grip on power with last week's inauguration of a new Congress. His party, New Ideas, now controls 90 percent of the seats, giving Bukele significant influence over legislative decisions, including potential changes to the Constitution for his reelection.
With 54 out of 60 seats secured by New Ideas and three seats held by its allied parties, the opposition finds itself with only a marginal presence in the new Congress. The current distribution of seats empowers Bukele to push forward his ambitious agenda to "re-found" the republic. After all, his party has not opposed a single one of his proposals since 2021.
New Ideas will no longer have to negotiate with the opposition to approve "the nation's general budget, international loans, authorize the issuance of debt, approve emergency regimes, elect the attorney general, the member of the Supreme Court of Justice, the Court of Accounts, the attorney for the Defense of Human Rights, and the magistrates of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal," reports Infobae.
Most concerning, New Ideas will be able to easily amend El Salvador's Constitution.
Previously, any constitutional amendments had to be proposed and approved in one legislative term, then ratified in the subsequent Congress following elections. But that constitutional procedure was changed last week. Days before the new legislative term began, the previous Congress approved a change that would allow the legislature to make constitutional changes without having to wait for a new legislative term, requiring only a three-quarters majority vote to make the change, according to the Associated Press.
"We are not taking anything away from the Constitution, what we are doing is adapting it to the changes demanded by the new reality," Christian Guevara, leader of the New Ideas fraction in Congress, told the plenary during the vote.
But critics remain skeptical of the congressional decision, arguing that the move could lead to Bukele's unchecked authority. "President Nayib Bukele's deputies will have the power to make constitutional changes at will, as many times as they want," wrote El Faro.
"This is a shot to the democracy of our country. The only thing they are demonstrating is the petty interests and ambition to maintain and not let go of power," Rosa Romero of the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance told the A.P.
Bukele's presidency has been characterized by unconventional policy initiatives, making him one of the most popular leaders in Central America. From embracing bitcoin as legal tender to launching an aggressive crackdown on criminal gangs, his administration has garnered both acclaim and controversy. While his efforts have contributed to a remarkable decline in homicide rates and the detention of over 76,000 alleged gang members, they have also come under scrutiny for alleged human rights abuses and constitutional overreach.
Despite constitutional restrictions that limit presidents to a single five-year term, Bukele leveraged his influence to obtain approval from loyalists within the Supreme Court to pursue another term. In February, Bukele secured a landslide victory for his reelection, winning 85 percent of the vote. He declared his victory "a record in the entire democratic history of the world."
Bukele's constitutionally dubious second term is set to end in 2029. But his administration has hinted at the possibility of extending his tenure beyond his current term. With the recent consolidation of power in the new Congress and no obstacles in his way to make constitutional changes, Bukele's ambitions for an extended presidency may well materialize.
But they may have to pay the price for that.
“He was able to take on the gangs and stop crime in El Salvador. But they may have to pay the price for that.”
Exterminating criminals and leftists (redundant, I know) is a high price to pay for safety and prosperity but it’s one I’m willing to pay.
We’ll never tolerate somebody like Bukele here in the States even if he’s a “benevolent” dictator.
El Salvador is about the only place in south and central america that is better than it was 5 years ago. Everything elsewhere is getting worse
Perhaps it is too cynical to say it, but south of the border, there seems to be two types of administrations: conservative dictators, and communist dictators.
“We’ll never tolerate somebody like Bukele here in the States even if he’s a “benevolent” dictator.”
I disagree. What is true is that we simply have not reached the threshold where such a dictator would appeal to ninety percent of the American electorate.
Given the right circumstance, we would willingly vote for a person who would kill off the criminals and invaders and everyone else who threatens our way of life.
Not good. Very typical of Latin American governments, though.
It really should go back to the people to then vote on.
I don’t like leaving it only to legislators.
Bukele recently announced that his entire government will be investigated for corruption. He said that he doesn’t want to be known as a good president surrounded by criminals.
And he had to imprison 4% of the male population over 18. Narrow that to 18-30 and it's probably near 10%.
I don’t like the legislature’s being able to change the Constitution, either. Too much opportunity for self-dealing. I wish El Salvador the best, anyway.
They're all in MS-13.
But that's not something we can do in the U.S. Even if you have MS-13 tattoos on your body.
We got some of their undesirables. We should pay for a new prison and put them there.
Holding 90% of the seats in Congress, the republicans would still be unable to govern
Wouldn’t know what to do, and would STILL be scared of CNN.
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