Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA) condemns the assault of the armed and security forces on the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador on 9 February 2020, after the majority of the plenary voted against convening an extraordinary session to consider a loan of 109 million dollars to be allocated to national security.

PGA regrets that President Nayib Bukele called for the use of the armed forces to intimidate legislators and recalls that the democratic system and the Rule of Law are based on respect for the separation of powers. The Executive, Legislative and Judicial branches are co-equal  and act in a system of checks and balances.

Dip. Víctor Bisonó (Dominican Depublic), Chair of the PGA International Council stated: “The army is a direct emanation of the Executive branch of Government while Parliament is the main organ of the Legislative branch. Therefore, the premises of Parliament may only be secured by armed personnel reporting to the Speaker of Parliament and no armed individual shall be allowed on said premises unless expressly invited to do so by the office of the Speaker. This material separation is an essential guarantee for the moral and political separation, which shall translate to the unfettered authority of Parliament to reject any legislative proposal submitted by the Executive.”

Parliamentarians have a privileged role as elected representatives of the people, but parliamentarians from the opposition can be vulnerable to abuses of power by the Executive.

PGA considers it essential to safeguard multi-party democracy and, therefore, to protect the voices of the opposition. The right to criticize strengthens democracy.

We call on all parties to prioritize dialogue in order to resolve this crisis within the democratic and constitutional frameworks and to categorically reject the use of force that undermines the independence of the Legislative power.

About PGA

Parliamentarians for Global Action (PGA), a multi-party, non-governmental network of over 1,300 legislators in 136 countries, informs and mobilizes parliamentarians to advocate for human rights and the Rule of Law, democracy, human security, inclusion and gender equality to achieve its vision to “contribute to the creation of a rules-based international order for a more equitable, safe and democratic world.”

Contact
Mónica Adame, Director of the Gender, Equality and Inclusion Program, 

Melissa Verpile, Senior Legal Officer of the International Law and Human Rights Program,