The new Congress of El Salvador, controlled by President Najib Boukil, decided on Saturday (1) to remove the members of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice and the Attorney General from his posts.
With 64 votes in favor, 19 against and one absent, the parliamentarians decided in the first session to withdraw the five judges for violating the constitution in taking decisions against the measures that President Buckley had tried to take during the pandemic, As a state of emergency in the country.
The Salvadoran president praised the decision and stressed that “the people” welcomed the decision, calling on the international community not to interfere in the matter.
A few hours later, the same disenfranchised Constitutional Chamber issued a declaration of statutory unconstitutionality, although it was not clear what would happen now, for example, if the case could be handled and nullified by the entire Supreme Court. .
An indigent judge, José Armando Pineda Vargas, is also the President of the Federal Supreme Court.
However, the plenary session elected to Congress and appointed five new judges to form the Constitutional Chamber.
Later, the Attorney General of the Republic, Raul Melara, was impeached, by 64 votes, seven against, 11 abstentions and two absentees. The alleged reason is that it would be related to the right-wing abbreviation Aliança Nacionalista Republicana (ARENA), which opposes the government.
Melara was elected to a three-year term ending in December 2021.
President of Congress Ernesto Castro then appointed attorney Rodolfo Antonio Delgado as the new attorney general, from May 2, 2021 to January 5, 2022.
Jose Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, criticized the decision. “Buckily violates the rule of law and seeks to concentrate all power in his hands,” he said on his Twitter account.
The opposition parties also attacked the procedures of the new conference.
According to the constitution, Congress can remove Supreme Court judges for “specific reasons, which the law will determine in advance.”
Both the election and removal must take place by the affirmative vote of at least two-thirds of the elected representatives.
Neb Boukele, President of El Salvador – Photo: Marvin Ricinus / AFP