The possibility of Bukele being re-elected for a second consecutive term in 2024 was opened in September 2021, when a questioned Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice modified a criterion for interpreting article 152 of the Magna Carta that had been issued in 2014.
The president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, severely criticized this Thursday 21 former presidents of Spain and Latin America, including Eduardo Frei Ruiz Tagle.
These authorities asked the Organization of American States (OAS) actions for their intention to be re-elected, for which Bukele branded them as being “corrupt, looters and some of them, even murderers.”
These 21 former Heads of State and Government of Spain and Latin America urged on Wednesday through a statement to the General Secretariat and the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) to act to “promote the normalization of democratic institutions” in El Salvador.
Bukele resumed on his Twitter account a publication by Juan Pappier, senior researcher at the Americas Division of Human Rights Watch (HRW).
It was there that the representative of the NGO shared the letter from the Democratic Initiative of Spain and the Americas (Idea).
“A letter signed by corrupt, looters and some of them even assassins. All hated by their peoples. I would be very concerned if I received your support. Thank God, it’s not like that.” says a message posted on Bukele’s verified Twitter account.
Among the former presidents who signed the letter are Oscar Arias (Costa Rica), Jose Maria Aznar (Spain), Felipe Calderon and Vicente Fox (Mexico), Andres Pastrana (Colombia), Mireya Moscoso (Panama), Luis Alberto Lacalle (Uruguay), Mauricio Macri (Argentina) and Eduardo Frei.
Possible re-election of Nayib Bukele
Bukele’s candidacy, underlines the statement, would violate the principle of “The alternation in the exercise of the Presidency” and other mandates of the Salvadoran Constitution.
This, to prevent anyone who has “Once the Presidency has been exercised, he can continue in his functions not one more day.”
The former presidents consider that “if the intention of the current president of El Salvador is fulfilled”, it will be in the presence, “as expressly indicated in article 20 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, of an alteration of the constitutional order that seriously affects its democratic order.”
The resolution that stopped Bukele from being re-elected indicated that whoever held the Presidency he had to wait 10 years after the end of his term.
In 2013, Bukele stated in an interview that in El Salvador “The Constitution does not allow the same person to be president twice in a row.”
A letter signed by the corrupt, looters and some of them, even murderers.
All hated by their peoples.
I would be very concerned if I received your support. Thank God, it is not. https://t.co/U4fPUQXWMJ
– Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) September 22, 2022