Institutional crisis in El Salvador. President Nayib Bukele presented a security plan requesting a loan to the Legislative Assembly. The discussion was supposed to be last Saturday (02/08/2020); however, and only 28 congressmen were present, a quorum requires 43 congress members. Bukele told members of the Congress that they needed to assist due to the importance of the loan. Some congressmen saw that reaction as a way to influence Congress, violating its independence.
Bukele visited the Parlament with a group of military and police officers, before getting into the Legislative Assembly Bukele gave a speech and mentioned that it would be unconstitutional if legislators did not discuss and approve the loan. Bukele is asking US$ 109 million to upgrade and renovate the National Police and Armed Forces; for that reason, Bukele invoked an extraordinary meeting to discuss a constitutional emergency. According to lawmakers, a loan’s approval was not a constitutional emergency.
Image by EFE
During Bukele’s speech, he said: “If these scoundrels do not approve the territorial control plan, we will reconvene them on Sunday. These scoundrels do not want to work for the people. We will give them a week.” Article 87 of the Constitution recognizes the people’s right to insurrection, and Bukele is willing to invoke it. Nayib finished with, “I ask God and he told me: be patient. ” All this with officers wearing heavy guns like they were in a mission inside the Parlament.
What Bukele did was explicit intimidation of the Parliament, using his power as president to move military forces to the Congress. Bukele arrived at the presidency with more than 80% of votes, and some called him the millennial president. This type of action should be condemned, intimidating the legislative branch with military presence, summoning members of Congress to approve a loan, and manipulating the people with religious words.
Latin America needs leaders that respect institutions; we are facing democracy and institutional crisis. The problem is not left or right; abuse of power has not an ideological position.