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Significance
Insecurity poses a challenge for President Nayib Bukele, who has made considerable political capital from a downward trend in violence over his term in office. While the government’s actions appear designed to maintain that capital, they also raise serious human rights concerns.
Impacts
Concern for civil rights will be more common internationally than within El Salvador, where most people’s priority will be security.
US relations will remain frosty, especially given US suspicions of Salvadoran government-gang negotiations.
Security spending will now be prioritised, weighing on post-pandemic financing for social support and healthcare.
Claims that Bukele has ordered the construction of a new 20,000-capacity prison suggest he is planning long-term.
Keywords:
El Salvador,
LA/C,
international relations,
politics,
social,
crime,
emergency,
government,
human rights,
judicial,
legislation,
military,
police,
reform,
security
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2022
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