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        {"code":"26874","sect":"El Salvador","sect_slug":"el-salvador","hits":"2231","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/en\/202306\/el_salvador\/26874","link_edit":"","name":"Bukele Cuts 30% of Assembly Seats and 83% of Mayors Months Before Elections","slug":"bukele-cuts-30-of-assembly-seats-and-83-of-mayors-months-before-elections","info":"Eight months before the elections, President Nayib Bukele announced last night that the 262 Salvadoran municipalities will be cut to 44 and the 84-seat legislature to 60. In his prime-time speech marking four years in power, he also announced the seizure of ex-president Alfredo Cristiani\u2019s assets on unknown charges.","mtag":"Politics","noun":{"html":"\u003Cspan class='tint-text--dark' data_href='\/user\/profile\/nrauda'\u003E Nelson Rauda Zablah\u003C\/span\u003E","data":{"nelson-rauda-zablah":{"sort":"nrauda","slug":"nelson-rauda-zablah","path":"nelson_rauda_zablah","name":"Nelson Rauda Zablah","edge":"0","init":"0"}}},"view":"2231","pict":{"cms-image-000039070-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"39070","name":"cms-image-000039070.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000039070.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000039070.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000039070-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Nayib Bukele gave his fourth-anniversary speech in a solemn session at the Legislative Assembly with the presidents of the other two branches of government in attendance: Ernesto Castro, Bukele's former private secretary and current head of the Assembly, and Oscar Lopez Jerez, imposed as Supreme Court President by Bukele's\u00a0party in May 2021. Photo Carlos Barrera&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003ENayib Bukele gave his fourth-anniversary speech in a solemn session at the Legislative Assembly with the presidents of the other two branches of government in attendance: Ernesto Castro, Bukele's former private secretary and current head of the Assembly, and Oscar Lopez Jerez, imposed as Supreme Court President by Bukele's\u00a0party in May 2021. Photo Carlos Barrera\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000039071-jpg":{"feat":"0","sort":"39071","name":"cms-image-000039071.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000039071.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000039071.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000039071-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Guests in the Assembly cheered during Bukele's speech and chanted for his reelection. Bukele didn't broach his campaign but stopped to acknowledge the shouts and signs from his fans. Photo Carlos Barrera&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EGuests in the Assembly cheered during Bukele's speech and chanted for his reelection. Bukele didn't broach his campaign but stopped to acknowledge the shouts and signs from his fans. Photo Carlos Barrera\u003C\/p\u003E"},"cms-image-000039072-jpg":{"feat":"1","sort":"39072","name":"cms-image-000039072.jpg","link":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000039072.jpg","path":"https:\/\/elfaro.net\/images\/cms-image-000039072.jpg","back":"","slug":"cms-image-000039072-jpg","text":"&lt;p&gt;Bukele closed his appearance by announcing an operation that was being carried out in real time by the Attorney General's Office in yet another sign of how lines of judicial independence have been blurred in El Salvador. Photo Carlos Barrera&lt;\/p&gt;","capt":"\u003Cp\u003EBukele closed his appearance by announcing an operation that was being carried out in real time by the Attorney General's Office in yet another sign of how lines of judicial independence have been blurred in El Salvador. Photo Carlos Barrera\u003C\/p\u003E"}},"pict_main__sort":39072,"date":{"live":"2023\/06\/02"},"data_post_dateLive_YY":"2023","data_post_dateLive_MM":"06","data_post_dateLive_DD":"02","text":"\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Ca href=\"\/suscribe\/en\/\"\u003E\u003Cem\u003ESubscribe to our newsletter\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EElection season has officially begun in El Salvador. The day after the announcement of the first opposition presidential ticket, \u003Cstrong\u003EBukele did away with 70 percent of publicly-elected positions locally and nationally.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn a solemn address to the Legislative Assembly to commemorate his fourth year in office, he announced bills to reduce the number of municipalities to 44, meaning the elimination of 218 mayoral races. He also announced the reduction of 24 seats in the Legislative Assembly to 60, which was how things were in 1991.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe changes are to be implemented with eight months left before voting and with political parties' internal elections underway.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBukele has argued efficiency. \u201cWe won\u2019t have 262 mayors and municipal councils, nor their managers, positions of trust, assistants or assistants to the assistants,\u201d the president said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EHe also pointed to the corruption of some mayors as a reason to enforce the change, \u003Cstrong\u003Ethe same argument he used in 2021 to purge a third of the country\u2019s judges\u003C\/strong\u003E, which allowed him a \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202109\/centroamerica\/25759\/Who-Controls-Justice-in-Central-America.htm\"\u003Emajority takeover of the Judicial Branch\u003C\/a\u003E. In his speech on Thursday night, he referred to the judges\u2019 removal as a \u201ccleansing.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EFor the Legislative Assembly, he pointed to the number of seats before what he has called the \u201cfake\u201d 1992 Peace Accords. \u201cArena and FMLN added those seats to ensure their friends a position without losing theirs,\u201d the president said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=4000&ImageHeight=2667&ImageId=39071 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Guests in the Assembly cheered during Bukele's speech and chanted for his reelection. Bukele didn't broach his campaign but stopped to acknowledge the shouts and signs from his fans. Photo Carlos Barrera\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Guests in the Assembly cheered during Bukele's speech and chanted for his reelection. Bukele didn't broach his campaign but stopped to acknowledge the shouts and signs from his fans. Photo Carlos Barrera \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe reduction of municipalities has been the subject of a technical discussion for decades. Different administrations since the 90s explored the idea, but never followed through. Now, the timing raises suspicions about electoral motives.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe announcement comes barely 24 hours after \u003Cstrong\u003EVirginia-based lawyer Luis Parada and historic human rights advocate Celia Medrano announced their bid to lead a unified opposition ticket\u003C\/strong\u003E against Bukele with party Nuestro Tiempo. El Faro \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202305\/el_salvador\/26856\/civil-society-leads-push-for-unified-opposition-candidate-in-el-salvador\"\u003Erevealed\u003C\/a\u003E the candidacies of Parada \u2014who Bukele \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LAParadaF\/status\/1664316799955943425?s=20\"\u003Epraised in 2018\u003C\/a\u003E for saving El Salvador millions of dollars in international arbitrage\u2014 and Medrano ten days ago.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe opposition alliance had set a goal of 30 seats at the next Legislative Assembly, currently enough to limit the scope of the ruling party\u2019s two-thirds supermajority. The reduction means that more votes will be needed to guarantee any seat.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EAndy Failer, president of Nuestro Tiempo, \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AndyFailer\/status\/1664463168712720384\"\u003Ereacted\u003C\/a\u003E: \u201cany change to the electoral system, less than a year away from the elections, answers to one thing only: fear.\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EGerrymandered races\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EEliminating 83 percent of mayors benefits Bukele in perhaps the only front where he has underperformed. \u003Cstrong\u003EPolling shows that more than half of the country would like to change its mayor,\u003C\/strong\u003E a cold shower to Bukele since his party won 150 city hall races in 2021.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cMunicipal back pay has become the norm under the Bukele administration,\u201d as we wrote in our \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202303\/el_salvador\/26758\/Bukele-Looks-to-Eliminate-Four-Fifths-of-El-Salvador-Municipalities.htm\"\u003EMarch 8 newsletter\u003C\/a\u003E, after Bukele cut from 8 to 1.5 the percent of the national budget earmark to mayors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe municipal reduction would \u201cnot only increase centralization but also accentuate inequalities and territories' own dynamics,\u201d according to Rommy Jim\u00e9nez, a teacher in the Central American University\u2019s Masters of Territorial Development Program.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u201cBukele will limit the power of those in which he has little public approval and \u003Cstrong\u003Emerge them with districts where his Nuevas Ideas party has more support\u003C\/strong\u003E,\u201d \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AniMendezD\/status\/1664602514333880320\"\u003Esaid\u003C\/a\u003E Ana M\u00e9ndez, Central America director at WOLA. \u201cThis aims to do away with electoral transparency, concentrate power, and ultimately undermine democracy,\u201d she added.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=4000&ImageHeight=2667&ImageId=39070 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Nayib Bukele gave his fourth-anniversary speech in a solemn session at the Legislative Assembly with the presidents of the other two branches of government in attendance: Ernesto Castro, Bukele's former private secretary and current head of the Assembly, and Oscar Lopez Jerez, imposed as Supreme Court President by Bukele's\u00a0party in May 2021. Photo Carlos Barrera\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Nayib Bukele gave his fourth-anniversary speech in a solemn session at the Legislative Assembly with the presidents of the other two branches of government in attendance: Ernesto Castro, Bukele's former private secretary and current head of the Assembly, and Oscar Lopez Jerez, imposed as Supreme Court President by Bukele's\u00a0party in May 2021. Photo Carlos Barrera \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThis is just the latest in a series of recent changes to the electoral system to favor Bukele.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn August 2022, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal split the presidential from the mayoral election: Whereas the presidential and congressional races will be held on February 4, the mayoral and Central American Parliament contests are set for March 3.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ELast October, his party approved \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.elsalvador.com\/noticias\/nacional\/asamblea-voto-en-el-exterior-tse-diaspora-salvadorena-\/1009147\/2022\/\"\u003Eout-of-country electronic voting\u003C\/a\u003E despite widespread criticism of the lack of safeguards for online voting.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn March, lawmakers eliminated an article that \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/www.wola.org\/2023\/03\/electoral-reforms-el-salvador-consolidation-of-power\/\"\u003Eforbade the change of electoral rules\u003C\/a\u003E a year before the elections, paving the way to last night\u2019s announcement.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIn April, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) \u003Cstrong\u003Eallowed a Bukele-allied party to register to compete despite \u003Ca href=\"\/es\/202304\/el_salvador\/26806\/tse-permite-que-fuerza-solidaria-ignore-un-requisito-legal-y-participe-en-las-elecciones-de-2024\"\u003Enot fulfilling legal requirements\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ENot to mention the fact that the Constitutional Court and TSE have blessed his run for a second term in office \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202209\/el_salvador\/26381\/Bukele-Announces-He-Will-Seek-Reelection-in-2024-despite-Constitutional-Ban.htm\"\u003Edespite a constitutional prohibition\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ELast night, guests at the Legislative Assembly for the speech sported Bukele 2024 hats and signs calling for him to stay in power. The Constitution says that anyone calling for presidential reelection should lose citizenship rights.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPunishment on live TV\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBukele\u2019s final flourish in what should\u2019ve been his last anniversary speech as president was to reveal a law enforcement operation \u2014in real time\u2014 to seize the assets of Alfredo Cristiani, the last of the living Salvadoran presidents who hadn\u2019t been indicted.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ECristiani, the one who negotiated and signed the Peace Accords in 1992 to close the 12 years-long civil war, is at the same time \u003Cstrong\u003Ea symbol of the old oligarchy and neoliberal policies\u003C\/strong\u003E, including the privatization of banks and other public companies in the early 90's.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EBukele next announced a \u201cwar against corruption,\u201d two years after expelling the International Commission Against Impunity (CICIES). He \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202201\/el_salvador\/0000025948-el-salvador-attorney-general-raids-offices-of-anti-corruption-prosecutors\"\u003Edismantled the commission\u003C\/a\u003E \u2014whose installation was a key campaign promise\u2014 after it began looking into his own administration\u2019s gang negotiations, pandemic graft, and other corruption schemes.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe operation against Cristiani, the supposed face of this new enemy, also pointed to the lack of separation of powers in El Salvador: \u003Cstrong\u003EIt was the president, not the Attorney General, who announced the action\u003C\/strong\u003E, as if it had been ordered by Casa Presidencial. The accusations against Cristiani aren\u2019t clear.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe choreography ended with the cameras of the public television network raiding Cristiani\u2019s properties together with the police. Bukele mentioned in his speech the former president's \u201cSanta Elena mansion, his Coatepeque lakehouse, and Santa Luc\u00eda drugstore.\u201d Later, the AG\u2019s office said they seized properties worth an estimated $10.6 million.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E    \u003Cfigure class=\"pict pict_land pict_move_posc 0 cs_img cs_img--curr rule--ss_c\" data-shot=\"pict\" data-hint=\"pict\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"pict__pobj text-overflow\"\u003E\u003Cimg src=https:\/\/elfaro.net\/get_img?ImageWidth=3895&ImageHeight=2596&ImageId=39072 class=\"pobj\" style=\"max-width: 100%\" rel=\"resizable\" alt=\"Bukele closed his appearance by announcing an operation that was being carried out in real time by the Attorney General's Office in yet another sign of how lines of judicial independence have been blurred in El Salvador. Photo Carlos Barrera\" \/\u003E\u003C\/div\u003E \u003Cfigcaption class=\"pict__text cs_img_caption folk_content typo_buttons line--ss_s0c line--ss_s0c--auto block full-width text-overflow rule--ss_l relative\"\u003E \u003Cdiv class=\"__content block-inline full-width align-top tint-text--idle relative\"\u003E Bukele closed his appearance by announcing an operation that was being carried out in real time by the Attorney General's Office in yet another sign of how lines of judicial independence have been blurred in El Salvador. Photo Carlos Barrera \u003Cdiv class=\"photographer text_italic rule--ss_l tint-text--idle\"\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/div\u003E \u003C\/figcaption\u003E \u003C\/figure\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EThe broadcast of his speech showed senior officials and ruling party legislators clapping at several moments, including the president\u2019s promise to prosecute corrupt actors.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EMinister of Health Francisco Alab\u00ed \u2014who \u003Cstrong\u003Eduring the pandemic bought $225,000 of medical supplies from a \u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/gatoencerrado.news\/2020\/07\/11\/ministro-alabi-compro-225-mil-en-botas-para-medicos-a-empresa-de-su-familia1\/#:~:text=3-,Ministro%20Alab%C3%AD%20compr%C3%B3%20%24225%20mil%20en%20botas%20para%20m%C3%A9dicos%20a,a%20vender%20repuestos%20para%20veh%C3%ADculos.\"\u003Ecompany run by his family\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u2014 was shown cheering. Press Secretary Ernesto Sanabria, publicly questioned by Bukele\u2019s security advisor Alejandro Muyshondt for his luxury shopping a couple of weeks ago, was in the shot.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003ENot pictured were Vice Minister of Security Osiris Luna, who embezzled \u003Ca href=\"\/en\/202109\/el_salvador\/25736\/Top-Bukele-Official-Embezzled-$16-Million-in-Covid-19-Emergency-Food-Supplies.htm\"\u003E$1.6 Million in Covid-19 emergency food supplies, \u003C\/a\u003Eor Bukele\u2019s chief of cabinet, Carolina Recinos, who the U.S. Treasury named \u201c\u003Ca href=\"https:\/\/home.treasury.gov\/news\/press-releases\/jy0523\"\u003Ehead of a multiple-ministry, multi-million dollar corruption scheme.\u003C\/a\u003E\u201d\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003EIt would appear, unofficially, that the 2024 campaign has begun.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Chr \/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cbr\/\u003E\u003Cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis article appeared in the June 2 edition of the El Faro English newsletter. \u003Ca href=\"\/suscribe\/en\/\"\u003ESubscribe here\u003C\/a\u003E to tune into Central America.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E"}

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