San José.- In an acid test to which he will undergo for the first time in 20 months of the quinquennium that began on June 1, 2019, the President of El Salvador, Here’s to see, He will face the real polls today popular poll on the rejection or acceptance of Salvadorans in their controversial management and the future of their government, labeled authoritarian, erratic, nepotistic and intolerant.
About 5.3 million of the 6.8 million inhabitants of the Savior will go to the polls today from 07:00 to 17:00 (central Mexico) to elect the 84 deputies in the Legislative Assembly (unicameral Congress), the mayors, trustees and councilors of the 262 municipal councils and 20 deputies in the Central American Parliament (Parlacen).
The consultation will be crucial for the president, because he could be strengthened or weakened to rule in the next 40 months in one of the most violent and insecure countries in America, although he will maintain the support of two vital pieces – the Armed Forces and the Police National Civil – on which to base their political platform.
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“What is at stake is the balance of power of democracy,” warned Salvadoran businessman Javier Siman, president of the National Association of Private Enterprise (ANEP).
“The Bukele government, since it took office almost two years ago, has gone on a political campaign, discrediting MPs, political parties and anyone who thinks otherwise, to generate animosity against other parties and seek a majority in the ‘Assembly,’ Siman told THE UNIVERSAL.
“We would like to see a balanced Assembly, in which no party has full control and much less control over the Executive. This is the balance of power. The Executive wants to have all the power of the state apparatus,” he said. he stated.
Today’s election is vital for Bukele, already seasoned in his daily tactics of going to the Red social Twitter and other social media to reject and deny all questions raised by their opponents.
Opponents described Bukele, 39, as a danger to the young and fragile Salvadoran democracy, which just in 1992 emerged from a civil war between right-wing armed forces and left-wing guerrillas that erupted in 1980 and it cost him 75 to 80,000 fatalities and resulted in a deep internal social commotion.
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In a hectic journey, the president has amassed accusations from his rivals that he is authoritarian, rules for his family and friends, leads the country aimlessly and never supports criticism.
On February 9, 2020, in one of the most important events of the postwar period and sponsored by military and police troops, Bukele marched to the Assembly and occupied it by force to demand the approval of a plan of security, in a threat to the constitutional order. Bukele repulsed any attack for this act.
Political map
Bukele had to ally with the right-wing Grand Alliance for National Unity (WIN) To compete and win in the 2019 presidential election, but assumed without his own legislative bench. WIN won 10 seats, but the Assembly remained under traditional rule. The opposition and right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) he got 35 and the opponent, leftist and former guerrilla Front Farabundo Martí for National Liberation (FMLN) Reached 23, while the rest was distributed in minority parties.
In this scenario, today’s battle seems marked by three groups: ARENA, FMLN and New Ideas, Bukele’s right-wing party with which he will try today to build a parliamentary stronghold to govern at will. ARENA ruled from 1989 to 2009 and FMLN, 2009 2019, in a bipartisanship finally defeated by Bukele two years ago.
The president has the challenge of obtaining, always with his WIN partners, 43 legislators by absolute majority and 56 for the qualified one. Deputies will be elected for three years from May 1 and may be re-elected indefinitely.
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“It’s time to dump her and move on new Legislative Assembly with deputies who truly work for Salvadorans, “he proclaimed New Ideas on his social media.
“The time has come to end corruption” and to “write the second part of El Salvador’s political history,” the pro-government party announced.
Warning his followers that “the mass vote kills fraud”, he urged them that today “we must all mark” on the ballots the N of New Image and “Nayib”, because “the same as always came to them the time and they’re already out. “
attacks
The opposition never spared action to fight the Head of State as the center of the electoral struggle. “Bukele has greatly damaged the dignity of the post,” the Salvadoran deputy raised Rodolfo Párker, General secretary of the opposition Christian Democratic Party and aspiring to be re-elected to the Assembly.
The president “had as his first responsibility to seek the harmony of the Salvadoran people, he has engendered much hatred and divided us. In this context, the challenge today is to defend the separation of powers, the rule of law and accountability , which Bukele does not comply with, “Parker told the newspaper.
“Today will mark the future of the Savior,” said the Salvadoran Claudia de Ávila, Deputy candidate for ARENA. “Not even in the time of the war had we been in so much danger of institutional weakening as that which has been caused by Bukele,” she stressed, consulted by this newspaper.
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“It does not respect the Assembly, the Supreme Court of Justice or the Constitutional Chamber. It allocated millions of dollars from the state to publicize the ruling party’s political campaign, which is a level playing field with the rest of the parties. It occupies the state apparatus to manipulate, “he accused.
Bukele “goes after absolute power: they want to turn the Savior into a dictatorship,” he ruled.
Forecasts indicated that the first official results will be released tonight and Bukele will know the balance of the acid test.