Bosque Posted February 5 Posted February 5 (edited) Quote SAN SALVADOR, Feb 4 (Reuters) - President Nayib Bukele on Sunday secured a thumping victory in El Salvador's elections after voters cast aside concerns about erosion of democracy to reward him for a fierce gang crackdown that transformed security in the Central American country. Provisional results on Monday morning show Bukele winning 83% support with just over 70% of the ballots counted. His New Ideas party is expected to win almost all of the 60 seats in the legislative body, tightening its grip on the country and bestowing even more sway on Bukele, the most powerful leader in El Salvador's modern history. "We are celebrating, thanking him, thanking God, for getting us out of this gang problem. We don't want to go back to that horrible past," said [55-year old shopkeeper] Guillen, who added she no longer pays $300 in extortion to the gangs every fortnight. https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-president-bukele-poised-another-landslide-voters-head-polls-2024-02-04/ Quote In only two years, Nayib Bukele transformed El Salvador from one of the most dangerous countries in Latin America to among the safest. That’s sent his popularity soaring, even as he’s come under criticism for an increasingly authoritarian bent. But there’s a paradox at the center of it all: El Salvador’s success in fighting crime has come at the expense of civil rights and amid accusations that Bukele is taking an increasingly authoritarian turn. The other side of that image of safety is represented by El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center. The brand-new prison has the capacity to hold 40,000 inmates, making it the biggest jail in the hemisphere. Viral images distributed by the government on social media have shown hundreds of shirtless prisoners, lined up in rows and forced to crouch, while men wearing fatigues stand guard nearby. In a ranking of civil liberties compiled by the Economist Intelligence Unit, only Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba fare worse than El Salvador among Latin American countries. Yet Salvadorans say they’re happier with their democracy than the citizens of any other country in the region, according to a 2023 Latinobarómetro poll. More than 60% of Salvadorans are satisfied, five times the rate for Peruvians and Ecuadorians. The election win may have large implications on other Latin American leaders looking to follow his lead: Quote Peru is now home to many admirers of Bukele’s tough-on-crime tactics. In August, Gustavo Acevedo, the mayor of Santa Ana, El Salvador’s second-largest city, visited Lima and was received like a rock star. He gave speeches about security, did interviews on national radio and television, and was hosted by the mayor of Lima, a city with a population almost double that of El Salvador’s. After Acevedo’s visit, Peru’s government declared a state of emergency in several Lima districts to expand police powers. Edited February 5 by Dephira 1
Alongoria13 Posted February 5 Posted February 5 Huh no party deserves to gain full control of a nation like this but as a Latin American I get 100% the reasoning behind the support.
Bosque Posted February 5 Author Posted February 5 6 minutes ago, Alongoria13 said: Huh no party deserves to gain full control of a nation like this but as a Latin American I get 100% the reasoning behind the support. I mean, if they secure this many votes in a democratic election, why wouldn't they deserve to gain the control that corresponds to their share of the votes? I understand the concerns about El Salvador's potential drift away from civil liberties, but the actual voters seem convinced, and their opinion should be reflected in the political makeup of the country
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