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1 1 (December 23, 2021)

handle is hein.crs/govegch0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional ____ S*Research Service El Salvador: Authoritarian Actions and U.S. Response Updated December 23, 2021 On December 9, 2021, the Department of the Treasury announced sanctions against Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's chief of staff for corruption associated with a massive pandemic-related procurement scandal. Treasury sanctioned two other officials the previous day, for providing illicit favors to the Treasury-designated Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) gang during covert negotiations. These sanctions actions, taken pursuant to Executive Order 13818 (Global Magnitsky sanctions), build on U.S. responses to democratic backsliding in El Salvador. In May 2021, Bukele's legislative allies dismissed five justices on the constitutional chamber of the supreme court and the attorney general and replaced them with political allies. Increasing concerns about corruption and authoritarianism in El Salvador among some Members of Congress could influence U.S. foreign assistance provided to the country. Democratic Backsliding On June 1, 2019, Bukele, a businessperson and former mayor of San Salvador, took office for a five-year presidential term after winning a first-round victory as an outsider standing for the Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA) party. His New Ideas party was not yet eligible to field candidates. Born in 1981, Bukele is the first president to come of age politically after the 1980-1992 civil conflict and the first presidential candidate in 30 years to win without support from the conservative National Republican Alliance (ARENA) party or the leftist Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) party. Bukele has governed as a populist, using social media to communicate with supporters, announce policies, purge officials, and attack opponents. Through 2020, Bukele battled with the legislature and the supreme court over funds for his security plan and his aggressive enforcement of a Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) quarantine. In February 2020, Bukele ordered the military to surround the National Assembly to intimidate legislators into approving an anti-crime bill. He ignored supreme court rulings to respect constitutional rights and legislative decisions. Although Bukele remained popular, critics warned about his authoritarian tendencies and possible ties to organized crime. In February 2021, New Ideas and its allies won a supermajority (56 of 84 seats) in parliamentary elections. Congressional Research Service https://crsreports.congress.gov IN11658 CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress

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