El Salvador's Diminishing Democracy

    On Wednesday, September 15, 2021, the people of El Salvador banded together to protest the controversial president, Nayib Bukele, after multiple accounts of abuse of power. This protest was sparked by his initiative to be the first country to make Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency, a legal currency. Many of the protesters made specific attacks towards the initiative by destroying ATM machines that enabled Bitcoin transactions. Salvadorians are concerned that Bukele's decisions as president are turning democracy into a dictatorship (The Washington Post). This may seem unplanned for Bukele but, he has been setting up El Salvador to transform their democratic ways into his own political playground. 

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele.

    When Nayib Bukele first took office years ago, he acquired a 90% approval rate through providing political solace for Salvadorians. In 2019, the political parties of El Salvador were plagued by corruption and scandals. Therefore, Bukele created his own political party, New Ideas, which turns away any ideas from the left or right parties that divided El Salvador (L.A. Times). More specifically, he promised to "to fight gangs, squash corruption and break with the country’s entrenched political parties" (L.A. Times). This might seem like a president who wants the best for his people but, the creation of a new party is a tactic done by other dictators in Latin America, specifically the Dominican Republic, to ensure a stable power for the leader. The tactic mobilizes support for the political leader and attacks democracy by limiting the power of other political parties (Journals). Bukele's actions show that this is the type of future that he wants. 

    In Bukele's first couple of years in office, he has restructured the democracy of El Salvador. Earlier this year, Bukele's party won majority in Congress, allowing Bukele to enact any and all legislation that he desires (The Washington Post). Additionally, On September 3, 2021, the highest court, who were elected by the majority New Ideas congress, ruled that the president can serve two consecutive terms in office (CNN), when previously, the democratic republic only allowed the president to be in power for five years (Justice). Moreover, Bukele emphasized the sovereignty by isolating El Salvador from other countries. He wants El Salvador "to [begin] a 'new history'". He goes so far as to claim that he is "an instrument of God," insinuating that he is the only way to "save" El Salvador (L.A. Times). Therefore, with Bukele's isolation tactic and grasp on power in major ares of the government of El Salvador, he will ensure that he stays in power for years and enact the changes that he wants to see, regardless if Salvadorians want it as well. 

    

President Nayib Bukele has called himself “an instrument of God.”

    Looking at the recent years of Nicaragua, one can see that the future is not pretty for the democracy of El Salvador under Bukele's rule. In 2007, Daniel Ortega took office as the Nicaraguan president. During his presidency, he has deconstructed the partitions put in place for presidential power. Additionally, Ortega filled his government with those of the same political party as him to ensure no resistance towards his ideas. Not only has he manufactured his own government, but he also guaranteed that his government would allow him to run for second term by changing the constitution in Nicaragua. Now the people Nicaragua struggle to enact their freedom of expression, follow other political parties, and get abortions (Human Rights Watch). With a such a similar history as the present of El Salvador, one can only wonder when El Salvador will start restricting its people of their freedoms. These similarities should not be taken lightly, as they will lead El Salvador's democracy into the hands of a dictatorship. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/thousands-protest-against-bukele-government-in-el-salvador/2021/09/15/85cf3986-165a-11ec-a019-cb193b28aa73_story.html
https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-05-16/nayib-bukele-the-most-popular-president-in-the-world-is-a-man-with-one-ideology-power. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1866802X1600800101
https://www.cnn.com/2021/09/06/world/el-salvador-president-nayib-bukele-consecutive-terms-intl/index.html
https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/eoir/legacy/2013/11/07/COUNTRY_FACT_SHEET_5.pdf
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2020/country-chapters/nicaragua#