El Salvador's homicide rate has significantly decreased under President Nayib Bukele's leadership due to a crackdown on street gangs. While crime has dropped, concerns have been raised about the impact on democracy and human rights in the country. Bukele's approach, characterized as 'punitive populism,' has led to a decline in homicides but persistent criminal activities like kidnappings and extortion.
VERBATIM FROM THE ARTICLE: “The result is a paradox of punitive populism, in which democratically elected leaders with broad anticrime mandates undermine liberal democracy by adopting iron-fist policies that are not only popular but can also be effective. Iron-fist policies are… https://t.co/5OE3uvhnTz
“The emerging picture is of a very popular president with an 80% approval rating; an apparent decline in homicides, but persistent levels of other criminality, including kidnappings and extortion; and a great deal of information we simply don’t know.” https://t.co/zsFZHVIIc2
Order is not in tension with democracy and human rights; it is the prerequisite. Bit strange to worry about the legalism of proceedings against gangmembers in #El_Salvador, when the population tells anyone who will listen it is ecstatic at being able to walk in the street safely. https://t.co/2boMN3AZAf
“The price of a no-holds-barred war on violent crime is too steep for Latin America, where democracies are still relatively young and fragile and where the rule of law is already elusive.” https://t.co/QozKc40LIG
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s crackdown on street gangs has facilitated a dramatic drop in crime—but it has also come at a serious cost to democracy and human rights, writes @Gustavo_F_M. https://t.co/V0hi2l6nYD
🇸🇻 The homicide rate in El Salvador is now less than 1/2 the US (soon, 1/3)—lowest in western hemisphere. From worst to first in just a few years! The result of a conscious decision to stop accepting violence, the will to make change happen & most importantly strong leadership: https://t.co/gg0sheVvcl