Central America

The Congress of El Salvador ratifies a reform for express changes to the Constitution

The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador, dominated by President Nayib Bukele’s ruling party, Nuevas Ideas (NI), ratified this Wednesday a controversial reform that allows express changes to the Constitution.

The reform, which received the endorsement of the 2021-2024 Legislature, allows the same legislature to approve and ratify the changes to the Magna Carta.

Initially, the constitutional amendments needed the vote of two different legislatures.

This amendment was ratified with 57 votes from NI and its allies, while the three opposition legislators voted against it.

The government justified this reform in the need to “have the necessary tools to face the social realities demanded by Salvadorans in the face of the constant changes that the world faces quickly.”

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The original wording of the second paragraph of article 248 establishes that the only way to modify the Constitution is through approval in a legislature with a simple majority and its ratification with the vote of two-thirds of the legislators.

With this approved amendment, it is added that this process can be carried out in the same legislature with three quarters of the elected deputies (45 out of 60).

Congresswoman Marcela Villatoro, of the opposition party Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), criticized the reform and pointed out that the reform process established in the same Constitution and judgments of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) would be violated.

“You are calling yourself constituents, you are violating the Constitution because you are not following the process of law” and “you have found the perfect excuse to upset the substance of the Constitution,” said the legislator.

The ruling deputy Caleb Navarro said that this reform would also serve to remove the political debt to the parties, with which they receive public funds for their work, which includes political campaigns prior to elections.

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In September 2020, President Bukele during his first term appointed his vice president, Félix Ulloa, to coordinate the study and proposal for reform to the Constitution.

It was in September 2021 that Bukele received a draft to reform more than 200 articles of the Constitution, but this document has not yet been presented to the Legislative body.

Central America

Guatemala President Says Starlink Terminal Found Inside Prison

Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo revealed on Tuesday that a Starlink terminal was discovered inside a prison in the country, highlighting corruption and the illegal introduction of advanced communication technology into the penitentiary system.

Arévalo did not specify which prison the device was found in but stressed that Starlink’s ability to connect directly to low-orbit satellites makes it particularly difficult to disrupt, posing a serious security risk.

The disclosure was made during a press conference attended by Interior Minister Marco Antonio Villeda and Defense Minister Henry Sáenz.

On January 6, specialized units of Guatemala’s National Civil Police (PNC), members of the Army and prison security personnel carried out Operation Sentinel at the Renovación 1 Maximum Security Prison for Men, located in Escuintla. According to the Interior Ministry, the operation aimed to reduce criminal activity, prevent illicit acts and stop the trafficking of prohibited items inside the prison.

During the operation, authorities also dismantled businesses operating near several prisons after detecting routers that were allegedly used to redirect internet signals into penitentiary facilities, according to local outlet Emisoras Unidas.

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Tensions escalated further over the weekend of January 17 and 18, when inmates affiliated with gangs staged riots in three prisons. During the unrest, they took prison guards and a psychologist hostage, demanding extra-large beds, air conditioning, transfers to other facilities and access to the internet.

Central America

Guatemala Police Arrest Prison Guard Caught in the Act of Extortion

Guatemala’s National Civil Police (PNC) arrested a suspected extortionist in the act during an operation carried out in the department of Quiché, authorities reported.

According to the police report, the arrest took place in Zone 1 of Santa Cruz del Quiché after officers responded to a citizen complaint. Agents from Precinct 71 identified the suspect as Encarnación “N”, 41, who was serving as a guard in the Guatemalan Penitentiary System.

The suspect was caught while attempting to collect a package simulating an extortion payment totaling 25,000 quetzales. Police intervened at the precise moment the money was being handed over, allowing authorities to document the crime in flagrante delicto.

Following the operation, the detainee was placed at the disposal of the competent courts to face criminal proceedings.

The PNC emphasized that such operations aim to dismantle criminal structures involved in extortion, regardless of whether those implicated are linked to state institutions, and urged the public to continue reporting these crimes through confidential channels.

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Central America

Honduras swears in conservative president Asfura after disputed election

Conservative politician Nasry Asfura assumed the presidency of Honduras on Tuesday with an agenda closely aligned with the United States, a shift that could strain the country’s relationship with China as he seeks to confront the economic and security challenges facing the poorest and most violent nation in Central America.

Asfura’s rise to power, backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, marks the end of four years of left-wing rule and secures Trump another regional ally amid the advance of conservative governments in Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Argentina.

The 67-year-old former mayor and construction businessman was sworn in during an austere ceremony at the National Congress, following a tightly contested election marred by opposition allegations of fraud and Trump’s threat to cut U.S. aid if his preferred candidate did not prevail.

Grateful for Washington’s support, Asfura—who is of Palestinian descent—traveled to the United States to meet with Secretary of State Marco Rubio, before visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We need to strengthen relations with our most important trading partner,” Asfura said after being declared the winner of the November 30 election by a narrow margin, following a tense vote count that lasted just over three weeks.