El Salvador political purge condemned
‘COUP’: Washington and human rights groups have voiced serious concern after President Nayib Bukele’s party ousted top judges and the attorney general
AFP, SAN SALVADOR
A political storm has erupted in El Salvador as its parliament, newly controlled by Salvadorean President Nayib Bukele’s party, dismissed the attorney general and top judges deemed hostile to the populist leader.
Opposition parties denounced the move as a “coup,” while Washington and rights groups expressed grave concern, even as Bukele celebrated the first step in “cleaning our house.”
“And the people of El Salvador, through their representatives, said: DISMISSED!” the young president wrote on Twitter after the majority vote on Saturday, which came in the very first session of the newly constituted single-chamber Legislative Assembly.
Human rights and judicial experts have slammed lawmakers aligned with El Salvador’s populist President Nayib Bukele for voting to dismiss top Supreme Court judges, a move they say aims to remove any opposition to Bukele’s firm grip on power.
On Saturday, the legislative assembly voted to dismiss all the justices in the Supreme Court’s constitutional chamber for issuing “arbitrary” decisions.
The lawmakers also voted to dismiss Attorney General Raul Melara, considered close to an opposition party.
Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas (New Ideas) party and its allies hold an absolute majority in the chamber after they overwhelmingly won legislative polls in February.
A political storm has erupted in El Salvador as its parliament, newly controlled by President Nayib Bukele's party, voted to dismiss the attorney general and top judges deemed hostile to the populist leader.
El Salvador lawmakers sack top prosecutor, Supreme Court judges
The new parliament in El Salvador started its work by ousting Supreme Court judges and the attorney general, with rivals of populist leader Nayib Bukele decrying a coup.
President s Bukele s supporters now hold an overwhelming majority in the parliament
El Salvador parliament on Sunday dismissed the attorney general and top judges it deemed hostile to the country s populist President Nayib Bukele.
The five ousted judges were the most powerful jurists on the 15-member court. The body is among the few remaining checks on Bukele s rule.
Ruling party lawmakers accused the judges and prosecutor of lacking independence and impeding the government s strategy against the COVID-19 pandemic.