A push by El Salvador’s president to force approval of a $109m loan to fund his security plans by marching armed troops into Congress has sparked international condemnation and left lawmakers scrambling to avert his threat to dissolve the legislature.
Nayib Bukele, a 38-year-old maverick politician who won the presidency a year ago and enjoys more than 90 per cent support, shocked the country when he swept into the chamber on Sunday afternoon, flanked by machine gun-toting soldiers after invoking an obscure clause in the constitution to call an emergency session.
He needs a qualified majority of congressional support to unlock the funds from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration.
After taking the seat reserved for the president of Congress, Mr Bukele — a former publicist who usually speaks directly to his electorate via social media — began to pray. He said God had asked him to be patient but warned he would call another session for next Sunday and could dissolve Congress if lawmakers did not approve the funds by then.
The president later posted a picture on Twitter of his infant daughter “watching her daddy on television” as he stood flanked by heavily armed soldiers and national flags.
The dramatic scenes drew criticism at home and abroad.
“This was a sight we thought we’d never see again,” said Johnny Wright, president of the opposition Nuestro Tiempo party and a former legislator. “It was completely unnecessary to resort to this tactic because there was a willingness to pass the loan this week.”
Eliot Engel, chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, tweeted: “The Salvadoran military should not be used to resolve disputes between the president and Congress.”
Fiona Mackie, Latin America director at the Economist Intelligence Unit, called his actions “reckless” and said his attempt “to intimidate the elected legislative body . . . will taint his presidency hereafter”.
Legislators were set to meet on Monday to try to resolve the impasse. “I think they’re looking for a way to end the row. But if they back the loan, they are giving in to the president’s threats and that’s a dangerous precedent,” said Mr Wright.
The strong-arm tactics left many in El Salvador perplexed. “The president not only has overwhelming approval ratings but traditional parties are weak, allowing his narrative to dominate in the run-up to legislative elections next year,” said Felipe Noguera, a pollster and consultant.
And despite his boast that the number of murders in a country riven by gang violence has halved since he took office last June, reaching their lowest level since the end of El Salvador’s 12-year civil war in 1992, security remains a core issue, making it unlikely that lawmakers would oppose any attempt to boost the military and police.
But Mr Noguera said Mr Bukele was a president who “always crosses the line and thinks the rules are not for him”. For example, on election day last yearhe appeared on television to appeal to voters to try to thwart low voter turnout and avert a second-round runoff.
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February 11, 2020 at 03:44AM
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El Salvador president’s strong-arm tactics spark outrage - Financial Times
"tactic" - Google News
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