El Salvador Congress Move Reopening to an Earlier Date After Strict Lockdown Measures by President Bukele

Where leaders of countries in Latin America denied or dismissed the seriousness of the coronavirus, on the other end of the extreme, El Salvadorian President Nayib Bukele went to the extreme extent of implementing measures that threatened the peace and security of the country.

Vetoing the decree

In response, the Congress passed a law to continue the reopening of the country's economy to the earlier date instead of the proposed June 6 target. It would take eight days after the promulgation for it to take effect.

On his social media, Bukele warned he would veto the legislation in the belief that the date was too early for resumption of activities.

On Monday, he announced he would make a proposal to the congress that outlined the stages of how the economy would start to reopen. His proposed date, June 6, required an extension of fifteen more days of quarantine given the lawmakers' approval.

Over the course of the pandemic, Bukele exercised the extent of his presidential powers through the National Guard, who were known for giving drastic punishments to violators of the lockdowns and posting these events online. After such incidents, the president received criticisms that targeted his authoritarian leadership. 

The Supreme Court ruled against Bukele's request to extend El Salvador's state of emergency when the Congress was yet to approve of the decision. The renewal would have enforced the strict quarantine measures for the following month, suspending school and banning gatherings.

The order clarified that the decision was still ongoing, and being deliberated by officials. Bukele assured that he would present a new proposal with a plan to restore and recover the economy on Tuesday. His only condition to Congress was that they must approve the two-week lockdown that would lower the curve of the pandemic.

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Pandemic as leverage

Human rights advocates believe the Bukele administration was taking advantage of the national emergency to eliminate democratic checks and balances. Most of his responses to the criminal gangs in the country have been none less violent, as reports say.

United Nations security investigator Jeannette Aguilar expected El Salvador would be advancing towards a dictatorial regime based on how the president was directing priorities.

Executive director for the Americas in the advocacy group Human Rights Watch José Miguel Vivanco thought Bukele was showing complete disregard for institutional constraints. He added that the president must be making the most out of the pandemic to do his bidding.

Bukele knew it would be a tremendous loss to communities if the quarantine were lifted too soon. He shifted accountability to the congress.

At the time, lawmakers were scheduling for the Monday meeting. By such time, the national emergency decree would have expired and citizens would have lost benefits from the administration. This included the capacity for Salvadorans to defer utility, mortgage, and credit card payments.