Caribbean & Central America - July 2011

Decree 743 was pushed through the 84-seat legislative assembly in the space of just four hours on 2 June by the four right-wing parties: Partido de Conciliación Nacional (PCN), Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (Arena), Partido Demócrata Cristiana (PDC) and the party of Arena dissidents, Gran Alianza por la Unidad Nacional (Gana). The left-wing Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN) abstained from voting. Funes promptly promulgated the decree, which stipulates that rulings by the SC must henceforth be unanimous, that is to say supported by all five judges and not merely by a majority. The upshot of the decree is that the SC is disabled as a functioning body. Practically all of its rulings are being approved by 4-1: the SC is comprised of four independent judges and one affiliated to the Right.

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