SAN SALVADOR.- The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukelefavorite to be re-elected in power in the upcoming elections on February 4, asked for a vote this Sunday so as not to put “at risk” the controversial fight that his government is carrying out against gangs.
“This February 4 we must protect security achievements,” Bukele said in a minute-long video published on his X account, formerly Twitter.
The president asks for the vote for the candidates of his New Ideas party to the Congress of Deputies.
“At this moment, Nuevas Ideas has the qualified majority, but with just one less representative we would lose that majority and put the war against the gangs at risk,” said Bukele.
According to the Salvadoran president, if he did not have a qualified majority in Congress, his government would not be able to approve the emergency regime, elect magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice, the attorney general “nor approve all the tools that are helping us to win.” this war” against the gangs.
“This means that with just one less representative from Nuevas Ideas, the opposition will be able to achieve its true and only plan, free the gang members and occupy it to return to power,” he added.
Bukele would win re-election and almost completely dominate Congress in the February 4 elections, according to several polls.
In the February elections, in addition to electing a president, Salvadorans will also renew Congress.
On November 30, the president received a six-month parliamentary license to launch his re-election campaign.
The massive popular support for Bukele is due to the fact that his “war” against criminal gangs brought peace of mind to the population, despite limiting civil rights with an emergency regime that has been in force since March 2022, according to human rights groups.
Bukele is running for reelection after a controversial ruling by the Constitutional Court, which authorized him to run for a second consecutive term, although the Salvadoran constitution did not allow reelection.
Source: AFP
