The Parliament of El Salvador approves extension of the exception regime

The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador approved by majority on Wednesday the ninth extension of the 30-day suspension of constitutional guarantees decreed on March 27 during a wave of violence by criminal groups.

“The emergency regime has given a total change to our country, the population feels completely safe,” said congressman Dennis Salinas, from the Nuevas Ideas (NI) party, explaining the unanimous vote of the ruling party and its allies in favor of the request of President Nayib Bukele.

Other legislators from NI and the Great Alliance for National Unity (GANA) and Christian Democrat parties highlighted that since March to date, more than 60,000 gang members have been captured, described as terrorists, and 70% of these criminal structures have been dismantled.

“For the first time in the country’s history, a security strategy has given such positive results,” said the president of the Legislative Assembly, Ernesto Castro, of NI.

However, several legislators insisted that many criminals are still at large and continue to threaten the peace and tranquility of the population, for which it is necessary to extend the validity of the emergency regime.

On this occasion, the opposition parties refrained from intervening in the debate and only the deputy Claudia Ortiz, from the Vamos party, criticized the decision and assured that filling the prisons has not served to bring peace of mind to families with missing persons.

With the decree, the rights of defense are suspended for 30 more days, article 12, second paragraph of the Constitution; the detention period of 72 hours, article 13, second paragraph; and the inviolability of correspondence, article 24.

The decree obtained on the night of Wednesday, December 14, 67 votes in favor, six against, 10 abstentions and one absent deputy. For its approval, it needed three quarters of the elected deputies, 63 of 84 legislators.

With information from Sputnik