Tuesday, November 19

Judicial reform in El Salvador: the controversial rule that will dismiss a third of the country's judges


No es la primera decisión polémica del presidente Bukele respecto al poder judicial.
It is not the first controversial decision of President Bukele regarding the judiciary.

Photo: REUTERS / copyright

The Salvadoran Assembly approved a law that sets aside the senior judges from 60 years. The opposition denounces a “violation of judicial independence”

The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador supported this Tuesday dismiss the judges and magistrates with 60 Years old.

President Bukele enacted a rule that withdraw to to corrupt judges. ”

The opposition described the measure as a “violation of judicial independence.”

Withdrawal of one third of the judges

The reform of the Law of the Judicial Career will entail the automatic retirement of around a third of the judges of the country, according to local media, as well as a large number of officials of the Prosecutor’s Office and the courts.

The new no rma requires the immediate separation of their positions from judges and prosecutors who have served 60 years or more than 30 on duty.

Despite the fact that Bukele and his party celebrated the approval of the reform, have not explained why the removal of the elderly 60 years contributes to cleaning the judiciary of corruption.

En una protesta contra medidas adoptadas por el gobierno de El Salvador, un joven hace alusión al presidente, Nayib Bukele, con una máscara que dice

The opposition voted against

Legislator René Portillo, from the opposition Alianza Republicana Nacionalista, Arena, regretted that the reform is “violating judicial independence” .

Among the judges who could lose their position is Jorge Guzmán , which investigates the massacre of El Mozote , one of the worst events in the civil war in El Salvador, in 1981, in which around 800 – 1.09 people were killed by the army.

It is not the first controversial decision regarding the judiciary approved since Bukele became president in 2019.

Last May the president ordered the immediate dismissal of the judges of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, which caused the rejection of the United States and several international organizations.

Manifestante que está en contra de la implementación del bitcón como moneda de intercambio en El Salvador
The implementation of bitcoin as a currency exchange in El Salvador has sparked protests in the country.

Prior to that, in February of last year, the president gave order to the army to take the headquarters of the National Assembly , after it refused to grant extraordinary loans to its government.

The approval of the reform is given in the middle of a generalized discontent of Salvadoran society in the face of some changes that the government has adopted in political, economic and social matters, including the implementation of bitcoin as exchange currency in the country.


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