El Salvador Congress re-elects Attorney General, sparks crisis with US international

Despite the appointment last May, tensions in relations with the United States have been strained by the El Salvador Congress, which is dominated by the allies of President Naib Boukel, who re-elected Rodolfo Del Gado as Attorney General this Wednesday.

“Attorney Rodolfo Delcado was elected Attorney General of the Republic,” said Congress President Ernesto Castro after announcing the re-election of the official with 66 votes out of a total of 84 members of Congress.

On May 1, shortly after the start of the new Congress, President Bukele’s deputy delegates fired lawyer Raul Melara after severing ties with the right-wing Aliana Republican Nationalista (Arena).

Delcado has been appointed to replace Melara, whose term ends on January 5, 2022, and will remain in office for three years until January 5, 2025.

On that occasion, Congress fired five judges from the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court.

The dismissal drew criticism from the international community. The United States has publicly accused Bukel of attacking the independence of the powers that be.

The President of Salvador reacted, accusing the Americans of financing the opposition, and disrupting relations between San Salvador and Washington.

The United States, through its joint venture USAID, reduced financial aid to Salvador State companies and diverted civil society in the fight against corruption.

On Wednesday, Christian Guevara, leader of the ruling party in the Novas Ideas party, argued that Delcado would support him “because he was committed to the fight against persecution and corruption.”

Buckell recently confirmed on his Twitter account that Jean Manes, who was in charge of business at the US embassy, ​​had asked at the last meeting not to re-select Delcado.

On Wednesday, the president welcomed the re-election: “True democracy. Congratulations, Mr. Attorney General Rodolbo Delcado,” he wrote on Twitter.