El Salvador - September 2022

On 15 September President Bukele announced that he will be running for re-election, despite a constitutional ban on consecutive re-election, and the fact that his current five-year term will not end until 2024. Nevertheless, a recent ruling of the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Chamber whose members were replaced by Bukele, considered that re-election is permitted, paving the way for Bukele’s bid to run for a second term in office. 

President Bukele’s approval is currently high, as polls suggest his measures to crackdown on gang violence are supported by a majority of the population. In March, a State of Emergency was decreed to combat high levels of gang killings and has been renewed every month since. Six months later, the State of Emergency has led to the arrest of nearly 53,000 people, in a context of weakened due process guarantees.

Sources: Human Rights Watch, Los Angeles Times, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, openDemocracy