They’re not going to be able to do whatever they want.”. They are particularly worried about his use of the armed forces, which played a troubling role in El Salvador’s past and carried out massacres against unarmed civilians during the civil war. Part of Nayib Bukele and his party's appeal lies in the fact that his election victory in February 2019 brought an end to the traditional two-party system in El Salvador… The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Since the peace accords, no party has won a simple majority of 43 seats in the assembly without forming a coalition with legislators from other smaller parties. Two main political parties – right-wing ARENA and left-wing FMLN – have dominated Salvadoran politics since the signing of the peace accords. Supporters of the Nuevas Ideas political party of President Nayib Bukele cheer in a rally during the last day of the election campaign in San Salvador, El Salvador… President-elect Nayib Bukele of El Salvador, just 37 years old and of Palestinian descent, made some astonishing pronouncements during a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington, D.C.: His tough actions to fight gang crime and combat the Covid-19 pandemic have already raised concerns about democratic and media freedoms in the Central American country both at home and abroad, leading to accusations of him using authoritarian tactics. Why Joe Biden’s pro-union message is so significant; NY attorney general says she’s received letter to investigate sexual harassment allegations against Gov. “We haven’t seen such consistent authoritarian behaviour since the end of the peace accords,” said Luis Mario Rodriguez, director of Political Studies for the Salvadoran Foundation for the Social and Economic Development (FUSADES). Johnny Wright, a candidate standing for the Nuestro Tiempo party, said that Salvadoreans would not be choosing between "the left or the right" but between "an authoritarian populist experiment or the defence of democracy". San Salvador, El Salvador – Salvadorans are heading to the polls on Sunday to elect the country’s 84-member National Assembly in a vote that civil society groups fear could destabilise the democratic order imposed by a 1992 peace accord that ended a 12-year civil war. His approval rating for the government's handling of the coronavirus has been high and voters have listed the pandemic and its economic impact as their main concern ahead of the election. President Nayib Bukele's party leads polls in El Salvador's elections Sunday. Supporters of the ARENA party take part in a rally during the last day of the election campaign in San Salvador on February 24 [Jose Cabezas/Reuters]When more than 40 civil society groups approached candidates from all parties to sign a letter committing to respecting democratic norms, no candidate for Nuevas Ideas signed on. El Salvador: Over 5.4 Million Citizens To Vote this Sunday One of the largest voting centers located in the Hipodromo boulevard in the capital registered a delay of more than 50 minutes. El Salvador politics in 2020. “They want to talk bad about the president because it suits them because they’re going to lose and they’re not going to be governing. The social media-savvy president and his Nuevas Ideas (New Ideas) party, which currently holds no seats in the assembly, are keen to wrest control of the legislative body from the two political parties who have long dominated Salvadorean politics. Politics in El Salvador has been dominated over the past three decades by two main parties - the incumbent left-wing FMLN and the conservative Arena. El Salvador's President-elect Nayib Bukele spoke by phone on Wednesday with U.S. National Security advisor John Bolton, who said he requested cooperation to counteract what he called the "predatory" expansion of China. Incoming El Salvador president Nayib Bukele will not invite regional counterparts Nicolas Maduro of Venezuela, Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua and Honduras' Juan Orlando Hernandez to his June 1 inauguration, a top aide said Tuesday. It has urged Salvadoreans to vote what it described as a "wave of hate, of lies... of abuse by those who look to divide us as a country". A win could place more power in his hands amid a shaky democracy. SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — In the two years since President Nayib Bukele won a stunning victory over El Salvador’s established political parties, the hold that the opposition maintained on the congress and other key positions has been a point of constant frustration for the young president and his fervent supporters.That could change Sunday when Salvadorans go to the Cuomo Its candidates have promised to focus on social programmes, which they say the Bukele Administration has stalled. San Salvador, February 4 (RHC)-- In El Salvador, Nayib Bukele was elected president on Sunday, defeating his opponents from the two main parties that have dominated the country’s political scene for over 25 years. Some of those charged in connection with killings were employees of the health ministry. SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — In the two years since President Nayib Bukele won a stunning victory over El Salvador’s established political parties, the hold that the opposition maintained on the congress and other key positions has been a point of constant frustration for the young president and his fervent supporters. Read about our approach to external linking. Video, Palestinian 'Techno Queen' faces court battle, Back to school with a little bear and his hearing aids. On February 9, 2020, Bukele entered the national assembly with the armed forces to pressure legislators to pass a loan to support his security plan. The 39-year-old social media savvy leader campaigned on an anti-corruption platform and promised to rid the political system of an old order that pillaged public funds. It’s all over for them.”. In 2019, Bukele became the first candidate from outside these two parties to win the presidency in the post-war period and he has repeatedly downplayed the importance of the peace accords. “We’ll just have to see in the time that he governs if there is no corruption that affects the people,” Linares said. The president of the Republic of El Salvador begins his duties on June 1 of the year of his … The left-wing FMLN party has been highly critical of President Bukele and his Nuevas Ideas party, promising throughout the campaign to "overthrow lies, hate and authoritarianism". Campaigning on a promise to tackle rampant gang violence and political corruption, he won more votes than all other candidates combined. ... Election consolidates power of El Salvador’s authoritarian president. Polls show no other party – of the two traditional ones and six others – will gain much more than 5 percent of the vote. “If there are other parties, it’s more complicated. In February 2020, his use of armed troops to take over the assembly in a bid to force the approval of his budget earned him condemnation at home and abroad. The election could be a watershed for a … But he does not believe Bukele is on that path. Nuevas Ideas and Bukele swept the Legislative Assembly elections for three main reasons. RELATED: El Salvador to Receive First Batch of COVID-19 Vaccine Bukele has rejected and mocked criticisms about his governing style, saying he would have taken even more extreme action like shooting his opponents if he truly were a dictator. But their support has waned in recent years after a series of high-profile corruption scandals, leaving an opening for a populist candidate to win over disgruntled voters with promises of change. Salvadoreans are choosing members for their country's legislative assembly on Sunday in an election which could see President Nayib Bukele increase his power. Call for observers ahead of February 28 polls comes after a deadly shooting in San Salvador on the weekend. An investigation into their possible motives is still under way. Nuevas Ideas, El Salvador President Nayib Bukele’s 2-year-old party, is expected to emerge from Sunday’s legislative and municipal elections with at least 60 percent of … Its candidates say that if elected, they will work to increase employment opportunities while refraining from raising taxes. What’s at stake in this election? VideoBack to school with a little bear and his hearing aids, Why schoolchildren are being abducted in Nigeria, France reverses stance on AstraZeneca vaccine1, Angelina Jolie sells Churchill painting for £7m2, US warned of 'potential fourth surge' of Covid-193, US father and son extradited over Ghosn escape4, Hundreds of kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls freed5, UK cruise ships end up as scrap on Indian beach6, The billionaire building 'a British Ferrari'7, Poland activists acquitted over LGBT Virgin Mary8, New York governor 'should resign over harassment'9, Volvo Cars to go fully electric by 203010. Among them are the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (Arena) party and the left-wing Farabundo Marti Liberation Front (FMLN), which reflect the opposing forces of El Salvador's 1979-1992 civil war. Since becoming president in 2019, Nayib Bukele has transformed the Salvadoran electoral landscape by challenging El Salvador’s political institutions and norms. El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, speaks about coronavirus vaccinations in San Salvador on Feb. 17. Since taking office in June 2019, human rights groups in El Salvador have warned of Bukele’s increasingly authoritarian governing style. President Nayib Bukele sent a letter congratulating Biden on his election: Biden will take over from Trump, who in 2018 called El Salvador a “ shithole country ” Despite that comment, Nayib Bukele famously stated after meeting with Trump on the sidelines … Video, Back to school with a little bear and his hearing aids, Angelina Jolie sells Churchill painting for £7m, US father and son extradited over Ghosn escape, UK cruise ships end up as scrap on Indian beach, The billionaire building 'a British Ferrari', Poland activists acquitted over LGBT Virgin Mary, New York governor 'should resign over harassment', 'No ray of sun' for jailed Salvadorean gang members, El Salvador gangs 'taking advantage of pandemic', the killing in San Salvador on 21 January of two activists of the opposition FMLN party. Opponents say they fear that if lawmakers from Mr Bukele's party win a big majority in the legislative assembly, this will threaten the separation of powers and eliminate checks on the presidency. If they have all the power, they’re going to want to do whatever they want,” said Daniel Pinos, a 41-year-old street vendor who plans to vote for opposition candidates from new parties VAMOS and Nuestro Tiempo. Now, a midterm gives him the chance to consolidate power. The preliminary election results posted by El Salvador's Supreme Electoral Tribunal can be viewed here. El Salvador’s populist president Nayib Bukele will become the country’s most powerful leader in decades after his allies won control of parliament in. But despite the criticism levelled against him by his opponents, opinion polls suggest Mr Bukele and his party remain popular with voters. SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - The party of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele is expected to win a sweeping victory in Sunday’s legislative and municipal elections, stoking the … While supporters of the president’s party are energised, civil society groups have raised concerns the elections could speed up the deterioration of the country’s democratic institutions that they say began when Bukele took office. First, the president has successfully promoted a vision of El Salvador … Also competing for the 84 seats in the assembly are nine other parties. President Bukele was quick to introduce tight restrictions on movement and commercial activity early on in the pandemic. The right-wing Arena party meanwhile has described itself as "the only real opposition" to Mr Bukele and his party. He and his supporters have used the hashtag #QueBonitaDictadura (What a Beautiful Dictatorship) on social media to highlight public work projects and other government initiatives. Some voters say they want their vote to counteract this potential concentration of power. Sunday’s legislative and local elections in El Salvador are seen as a referendum on whether to break the congressional deadlock that has tied the hands of upstart populist President Nayib Bukele.El Salvador's established political parties, The measures, which were enforced by soldiers, earned him a rebuke from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who said that he was "restricting liberties" through the use of "military force" against lockdown violators. Nayib Bukele was cited for urging voters to cast their ballots, 2 hours before the closing of polls by Julio Olivo Granadino the president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal of El Salvador. El Salvador’s President-elect Bukele to be investigated for violating the electoral act according to the elections chief Julio Olivo Granadino. SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — El Salvador's new president-elect won in resounding fashion, but breaking the three-decade hold on power of the … Nuevas Ideas supporter Roberto Antonio Linares, 52, said he does not want to see the government become a dictatorship because he remembers the harm these governments do to the people. US warned of 'potential fourth surge' of Covid-19, Hundreds of kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls freed, Eight-year-old becomes youngest pro Fortnite gamer, Palestinian 'Techno Queen' faces court battle. It has campaigned on a promise to be "the party for and of the people". Voters will choose 84 legislators to represent them in the national assembly for the next three years, and polls show nearly 70 percent of voters favour president Nayib Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas party. Political tensions ahead of the election increased after the killing in San Salvador on 21 January of two activists of the opposition FMLN party. Opponents of the 39-year-old president fear that if his party and its allies gain control of the legislative assembly this will give him a free rein to govern from a position of strength and pursue his preferred policies. Defying Bukele, El Salvador congress backs law to reopen economy, El Salvador electoral body wants observers deployed early, Political tensions mount in El Salvador before legislative vote, Morocco suspends contact with German embassy, Media watchdog sues Saudi crown prince over Khashoggi murder, ‘Pawri’ power: Pakistani teen’s Instagram video a rage in India, Victims of anti-Asian attacks reflect a year into pandemic, ASEAN set for talks with Myanmar military as crisis escalates, ‘Overwhelming joy’: Kidnapped Nigerian schoolgirls released, Trauma, anger as Tigrayans recount Eritrea troops’ ‘grave crimes’, US defends not sanctioning MBS for Khashoggi’s murder, Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights. Since he assumed the presidency in June 2019, Mr Bukele has had a number of bruising run-ins with the FMLN and Arena lawmakers dominating the legislative assembly, whom he accuses of being corrupt and of having links with El Salvador's notoriously violent gangs.