“A slow but sure departure from the rule of law and norms of democracy”. This was the assessment of the situation in El Salvador in a letter addressed to President Nayib Bukele on 23 September by six US Republican legislators. The letter came the day after Salvadorean judges penned a letter to the United Nations special rapporteur Diego García-Sayán, warning of threats to the independence of judges and lawyers, and requesting García-Sayán’s intervention in the face of “grave violations to judicial independence”. Both letters once again underline what remains the prevailing criticism of the Bukele government which took office in June 2019 - his seeming lack of respect for democratic process and institutions such as the legislature and judiciary with which he has clashed repeatedly over his response to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic and other issues.End of preview - This article contains approximately 643 words.
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