Dear Editor,
Regarding the article “International elections: A dictator, with consent,” published on March 7, 2024, I would like to express my disagreement with some of the points mentioned. While Nayib Bukele was re-elected as the President of El Salvador with 85% of the vote, he should not have been eligible to run. In May 2021, his party overhauled the judiciary, which led to a controversial re-interpretation of the constitution, allowing him to run for a second consecutive term. This ruling permitted Bukele to step back six months before the election, and the legislature appointed his personal secretary as an interim president. In 2022, El Salvador declared a state of exception where anyone considered suspicious could be arrested without cause and denied legal representation. This order has been devastating for many families and communities as livelihoods have been wiped out due to thousands of indiscriminate arrests. These points are significant from a human rights perspective and should be highlighted to provide readers with a clear understanding of the context surrounding the elections in El Salvador.
Best regards,
Noah Halterman-Mitchell ‘24
