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Nayib Bukele's military stunt raises alarming memories in El Salvador
The country’s popular, social media-savvy president marched troops into the parliament to demand $109m in security funds
David Agren
@el_reportero
Sun 16 Feb 2020 05.00 ESTLast modified on Sun 16 Feb 2020 05.02 EST
It was a scene evoking bad memories of a bloody era in a country with a recent history of authoritarianism and civil war.
Soldiers in combat fatigues marched into El Salvador’s parliament, before the country’s popular young president, Nayib Bukele, sat down in the speaker’s chair and gave the assembled deputies an ultimatum: approve a loan for new security equipment or be summoned back in seven days for another session.
“Pray,” he told supporters. “Ask God to grant us patience for a week.”
The episode last weekend stunned El Salvador, where memories are still vivid of the 1979-1992 civil war between US-backed military dictatorships and leftist guerrillas.
More:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/16/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-military-alarming-memories
