The controversy surrounding the recent elections in El Salvador, where President Nayib Bukele declared himself the winner before the official results were announced.

Premature statement by the president

• President Nayib Bukele declared himself the winner of the elections in El Salvador, despite only 31% of the votes being counted. Official results were not yet available.
• Electoral authorities in El Salvador had to stop counting votes due to technical problems. Now, they have to manually submit the remaining votes from all polling stations.

Concerns about Democracy and Authoritarianism

• It is considered disrespectful and undemocratic for a candidate to declare themselves the winner before the official results are announced.
• The situation in El Salvador raises concerns about authoritarian tendencies and disrespect for democratic processes.
• The president has already declared a state of emergency and implemented measures that violate human rights and due legal process, leading to accusations of institutional dictatorship.

Impact of security issues on elections

• The president’s focus on addressing security issues has earned him popularity among voters.
• There is debate over whether public safety concerns will increasingly influence election outcomes around the world as people grow weary of high crime rates.

Criticism and Debate

• Critics argue that resolving security issues should involve listening to experts rather than relying on personal opinions or family connections.
• There is debate over whether President Bukele’s approach to fighting crime is effective or whether it undermines democratic principles.

Public Opinion and Political Processes

Public opinion regarding President Bukele’s leadership style and his disregard for legislative processes.

Popularity vs. Legislative Processes

• President Bukele enjoys high approval ratings, with around 90% support, according to polls.
• However, there are concerns about his disregard for legislative processes and his implementation of policies without proper congressional approval.

Dichotomies in Leadership

• President Bukele’s popularity among the population contrasts with criticism of his approach to governance.
• He implemented re-election without going through congress, despite previously criticizing the lack of re-election in El Salvador.

Authoritarian Tendencies

• The president’s actions, such as manipulating judicial power and retiring Supreme Court justices to gain majority control, resemble tactics used by authoritarian leaders.
• These actions undermine democratic institutions and erode the foundations of democracy.

Importance of Surveillance

• The phenomenon of politicians using democratic instruments to attack democracy itself is a common trend in the 21st century.
• It is crucial that those who value individual freedom remain vigilant against unbridled state power that can infringe on citizens’ rights.

Reliability of crime statistics and democratic erosion

Concerns about the reliability of crime statistics under President Bukele’s administration and their impact on democratic principles.

Questioning crime statistics

• There are doubts about the credibility of the crime statistics presented by President Bukele, given that they were produced during a period when judicial processes were suspended.
• International entities that monitor human rights violations in countries such as Venezuela have also raised concerns about violations in El Salvador.

Democratic Erosion

• The suspension of legal processes and the manipulation of institutions, such as the retirement of Supreme Court judges, reflect tactics used by authoritarian leaders such as Maduro in Venezuela.
• These actions erode democratic principles and exploit democratic instruments to undermine democracy itself.

Protecting individual freedom

• When the power of the State ceases to be controlled and lacks limits, individual freedom becomes the main victim.
• It is essential that those who value individual freedom are aware of these erosions and defend democratic values ​​in their own countries.

Security as an electoral issue

The impact of security issues on electoral results and debates surrounding President Bukele’s approach to combating crime.

Security as a political issue

• The focus on addressing security concerns has become a significant factor in electoral outcomes around the world.
• Rising crime rates have led voters to prioritize candidates who promise effective solutions to public safety challenges.

President Bukele’s approach

• President Bukele’s party, the New Ideas party, has gained popularity due to its emphasis on addressing security issues.
• There is debate over whether his policies effectively address crime or undermine democratic principles.

Experience versus personal connections

• Critics argue that relying on experts rather than personal connections would lead to more effective solutions to combat crime.
• The president’s praise for individuals with air conditioning expertise rather than criminal justice professionals raises questions about his approach.

Debate and Criticism

The debate and criticism surrounding President Bukele’s actions and policies.

Defense of Citizens’ Rights

• There is disagreement among participants about whether defending citizens’ rights means supporting criminals or protecting law-abiding citizens.
• The discussion revolves around finding a balance between individual rights and public safety measures.

Dictatorial Tendencies

• Participants express concerns about President Bukele’s authoritarian tendencies, including interrupting others during debates and disregarding opposing points of view.
• These behaviors are seen as dictatorial and undermine healthy democratic discourse.

Polarization in Politics

• The right-wing opposition has increasingly supported President Bukele due to improvements in official violence statistics.
• However, it is important not to ignore international reports highlighting human rights violations and the erosion of due process under his administration.

El Salvador Prison System and Presidential Reelection

The size of El Salvador, its population and the construction of the largest prison in the world. It also mentions the re-election of the president and the need for legal adjustments to allow it.

Population and Prison System of El Salvador

• El Salvador is a small country with around 6 million inhabitants.
• Approximately 10% of El Salvador’s population is currently incarcerated.
• The president built the largest prison in the world, which houses 40,000 people.

Controversy over presidential re-election

• The president sought re-election despite this not being provided for in the Constitution.
• He needed to make legal arrangements involving Congress and the Judiciary to make his re-election viable.
• We believe that respecting a country’s constitution is crucial even in times of crisis.
• Flexing or disregarding constitutional provisions weakens their power to protect individuals from state authority.

Importance of respecting the Constitutions

The importance of defending a country’s constitution at all times, regardless of circumstances. Highlights how constitutional strength protects individuals from excessive state power.

Defending Constitutional Integrity

• We consider it healthy to respect a country’s constitution without making exceptions due to circumstances.
• A constitution must be strong enough to protect individuals from the immense power held by the state.
• Changing constitutions solely for personal gain raises suspicions about leaders’ popularity and intentions.
• Instead of working around constitutional limitations, it may be more appropriate to work towards legally changing them.

Protecting individuals through strong constitutions

A robust constitution is essential to safeguard individuals against excessive state power. It questions whether changing constitutions solely for re-election purposes is the best approach.

The power of a strong constitution

• A constitution must always be respected, regardless of the crises a country faces.
• The relaxation of constitutional provisions weakens their ability to protect individuals from state authority.
• A question arises whether the president’s popularity justifies changing the Constitution for re-election purposes.
• It suggests considering legal changes to allow for re-election rather than circumventing constitutional limitations.

Popular Support and Constitutional Amendments

A raise of doubts about the president’s popularity and proposes exploring constitutional amendments to allow re-election within legal limits.

Questioning popular support and legal processes

• The question is whether the president’s popularity justifies changing the Constitution for re-election purposes.
• It suggests that working towards legally amending the constitution would ensure a process conducted within the law.

Lessons from El Salvador’s penitentiary system

Lessons that can be learned from El Salvador’s prison system, particularly in relation to public safety and crime rates.

Increasing prison capacity and public safety

• El Salvador’s experience shows that increasing the number of prisons can lead to a decrease in crime rates.
• More people incarcerated can help reduce criminal activity.
• However, it is not yet clear whether this reduction is solely due to the arrest of high-profile criminals or other factors.
• Importing this approach to Brazil would require compromising respect for individual rights and constitutional principles.

Balancing Public Safety and Individual Rights

Possible challenges in implementing the El Salvador prison system approach in Brazil. It emphasizes that prioritizing public security should not come at the expense of respect for individual rights and constitutional principles.

Challenges in implementing the El Salvador approach in Brazil

• Applying El Salvador’s strategy in Brazil would require sacrificing respect for individual rights and constitutional principles.
• The current trend towards reducing the prison population in Brazil could worsen public security.
• To implement El Salvador’s approach, Brazil would need to abandon its focus on reducing incarceration rates.