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.”
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.
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
Prosecutors Accuse Ex-Defense Minister of Undermining Press Freedom in Honduras
Honduras’ Public Prosecutor’s Office on Wednesday filed criminal charges against retired General Roosevelt Hernández, the country’s former defense minister and former chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, over his alleged role in actions that prosecutors say undermined press freedom and freedom of expression.
Prosecutors said the case was brought by the Special Prosecutor’s Office for the Protection of Journalists, Social Communicators, Human Rights Defenders and Justice Officials following an investigation into content published between 2025 and 2026 on a digital media platform operated by the Honduran Armed Forces.
According to the investigation, the publications were reported by journalists and the Honduran Journalists Association (CPH), which described them as part of an alleged campaign to discredit members of the press and media organizations.
The case dates back to May 2025, when the CPH filed complaints with national and international organizations after the Armed Forces referred to three journalists as “hitmen” in an article published by FF.AA. Digital. The association argued that the publication endangered the journalists’ safety and constituted an attack on press freedom.
The journalists identified in the publication as “hitmen of the truth” were Rodrigo Wong Arévalo, director of the television news program Abriendo Brecha; Dagoberto Rodríguez, director of Radio Cadena Voces; and Juan Carlos Sierra, president of the Honduran Journalists Association. The article also included photographs of the three journalists and the CPH’s logo.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office said the case file includes formal complaints, pretrial investigative proceedings, a specialized forensic analysis of audiovisual and digital material, and witness testimony gathered during the investigation to determine whether the publications violated freedom of expression and the exercise of journalism.
Authorities emphasized that freedom of the press and freedom of expression are protected under the Honduran Constitution as well as international treaties ratified by the country.
Central America
EU Urges Nicaragua to Hold Free and Transparent Elections Amid Proposed Electoral Reforms
The European Union on Saturday called on Nicaragua to hold elections “in accordance with international standards” after the country’s co-president, Daniel Ortega, promoted electoral reforms that critics say would prevent opposition groups from participating in future elections.
Nicaragua’s National Assembly, which is controlled by allies of President Ortega and Co-President Rosario Murillo, announced on Wednesday that it would draft a package of constitutional and electoral reforms to be voted on in August. Legislative President Gustavo Porras said the changes are intended to prevent what he described as the “terrible manipulation by empires and their lackeys” in the country’s electoral process, referring to opposition groups.
In a statement issued on behalf of the European Union’s 27 member states, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas urged the Nicaraguan authorities to preserve democratic principles.
“We call on the authorities to convene elections and ensure that they are held as originally scheduled and conducted in a transparent, inclusive, and credible manner, in accordance with international standards,” Kallas said.
The European Union also reiterated its condemnation of what it described as the Nicaraguan government’s “systemic repression.” Kallas called for dialogue between Ortega’s administration and opposition groups before any electoral reforms are implemented.
Ortega, who has been in power for nearly two decades, has faced repeated criticism from the international community over restrictions on political opponents and civil liberties.
In response to the growing international criticism, the Nicaraguan government announced on Friday that it will brief foreign diplomats on the proposed reforms, seeking to explain the objectives and scope of the legislative package before it is debated in Congress next month.
Central America
Honduras Warns of Possible New Dengue Epidemic as Cases Continue to Rise
Honduras could be on the verge of a new dengue epidemic, according to physician and Honduran lawmaker Carlos Umaña, who warned about the sustained increase in cases across the country.
“We are on the verge of a new dengue epidemic because cases have been rising steadily,” Umaña said, urging citizens to take preventive measures. “Let’s eliminate breeding sites so we do not face fatal consequences later,” he added.
According to official data cited by Honduran media, the country had recorded 5,780 dengue cases nationwide through epidemiological week 26, covering the period from June 28 to July 4.
Of that total, 1,362 patients developed dengue with warning signs, while at least 100 cases progressed to severe dengue, increasing pressure on the national healthcare system.
Although current figures represent a decline of nearly 39% compared with the same period in 2025, when more than 9,400 cases had been reported, health authorities continue monitoring the situation due to the risk of a new surge.
Umaña warned that if the spread of the virus is not contained, Honduras could face an increase in fatalities, particularly among vulnerable groups such as children and adolescents.
Health officials continue urging the population to remove mosquito breeding sites and strengthen prevention measures to reduce transmission of the disease.
Truck bomb attack near police station in Colombia leaves 14 injured ahead of presidential inauguration
EU Faces Migration Crisis After 60,000 Migrants Arrive in Spain’s Ceuta Enclave
Chuck Schumer Unveils Proposal to Strengthen Oversight of the U.S. Presidency
Tec de Monterrey honors one of its students for his contribution to nanotechnology in medicine
Defense Minister commends salvadoran soldier for Central American Cross Country victory
Extension of the state of emergency approved in southern Chile
-
International3 days agoEU Faces Migration Crisis After 60,000 Migrants Arrive in Spain’s Ceuta Enclave
-
International5 days agoFive Bodies Found in Ecuador as Police Probe Suspected Gang Turf War
-
International4 days agoChuck Schumer Unveils Proposal to Strengthen Oversight of the U.S. Presidency
-
International5 days agoGeorgia Teen Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Deadly School Shooting
-
Central America5 days agoProsecutors Accuse Ex-Defense Minister of Undermining Press Freedom in Honduras
-
International4 days agoFAO and WFP Seek $42 Million to Prepare Southern Africa for Unprecedented El Niño
-
International4 days agoTrump Administration Urges Latin America to Increase Defense Spending Against Organized Crime
-
International23 hours agoTruck bomb attack near police station in Colombia leaves 14 injured ahead of presidential inauguration