El Salvador Perspectives

This article was originally published on the website of InsightCrime with the title  The Top Three Security Challenges Facing El Salvador’s President-Elect Nayib Bukele . Written by Héctor Silva Ávalos It is straight to business for El Salvador’s newly sworn-in President Nayib Bukele as he faces unparalleled expectations when it comes to tackling the country’s security policy. Some sources close to the president are giving the impression that Salvadorans will see daring, new proposals, but others fear Bukele will fall back on tried and not so true policies that have promised much but delivered little. InSight Crime delves into three of the major issues affecting El Salvador’s public security and anti-crime efforts , which the new president will have to deal with upon taking a seat in his office at the presidential palace. 1. Gang Activity Within the plan presented during his campaign, Bukele published a National Civil Police (Policía Nacional Civil – PNC) document tha...

The judge overseeing the trial of government officials involved in the 2012 gang truce in El Salvador has dismissed the charges against all the defendants.   The judge ruled that the prosecutors had failed to prove their case , and pointed primarily at the Minister of Justice and Public Security, David Munguía Payés, who is now the Minister of Defense in El Salvador.   Munguía Payés initiated and authorized the government's participation in the truce, according to the court, and the judge also pointed at the likely involvement of then president Mauricio Funes.   The defendants in the case were simply implementing a plan created at the top levels of the administration of president Funes. El Salvador's Attorney General announced on Thursday that he will appeal the dismissal of the charges. Beyond the appeal, one open question is whether Attorney General Douglas Melendez will ever pursue  Munguía Payés and Funes?    The other question is wheth...

There should be no doubt that David Munguía Payés is close to Salvadoran president Mauricio Funes.   Funes named him to be Minister of Defense in 2009.   Then in November 2011, Funes named him to be the Minister of Public Security. Upon taking office as Minister of Public Security, Munguía Payés famously forecast that the government would reduce the homicide rate in the country by more than 30%.    In fact, the homicide rate decreased by more than 50% as a result of the gang truce in March 2012.  That truce remains controversial and fragile today. Earlier this year, however, the Constitutional Chamber of El Salvador's Supreme Court ruled that Munguía Payés appointment to be Minister of Public Security was unconstitutional.   According to the Court, a "retired" military officer like Munguía Payés could not be in charge of the country's domestic security and policing, in light of the provisions of the 1992 Peace Accords which removed the m...