Thousands protest in El Salvador against Bukele government

SAN SALVADOR, Oct. 17 (Reuters) – Thousands of people in El Salvador took to the streets on Sunday to spread a range of complaints against President Nayib Bukele, from introducing Bitcoin as legal tender to dismissing judges of the Supreme Court, which are viewed as power by critics.

At least 4,000 people marched through the capital, San Salvador, with banners and signs, according to estimates by local media, rejecting Bitcoin, which officially became legal tender in the Central American country in September, the dismissal of Supreme Court justices, and the potential for Bukele to seek one second term in a row.

In the streets, people shouted slogans like “What does El Salvador want? Get rid of the dictator!” In the vicinity of the capital’s main square, protesters set fire to a doll bearing the likeness of the 40-year-old president.

Bukele declared himself the “dictator” of the Central American country on his Twitter account last month, in an obvious joke amid concerns over its increasing concentration of power.

In May, a congress dominated for the first time by Bukele’s New Ideas party voted for the dismissal of the judges on the Constitutional Committee of the Supreme Court, one of the most senior lawyers in the country, and the then attorney general. Substitutions deemed to be Bukele-friendly were quickly chosen, leading to sharp criticism from the United States as well as from leading international human rights groups.

People take part in a protest against government actions by El Salvador President Nayib Bukele’s government, such as the use of bitcoin and legislative reforms to extend his term in office, in San Salvador, El Salvador, on Oct. 17, 2021. REUTERS / Jose Cabezas

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Bukele’s administration then came under fire from the United States after Supreme Court justices ruled that the president could seek a second consecutive term in what Washington deemed unconstitutional.

“We are completely losing rights because they don’t respect the law today. Here is the will of Nayib,” said Rosa Granados, a union member who took part in the protests.

“If he raises his hand, all MPs will agree and there is no law or legal process that is respected,” she added.

Bukele, an experienced and often provocative social media user, dismissed the protests as a “failure” on his Twitter account.

“The march is a failure and you know it … Nobody believes you here anymore,” he wrote.

Reporting by Nelson Renteria, writing by Cassandra Garrison, editing by Nick Zieminski

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