El Salvador approves drastic reduction of municipalities

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - The Salvadoran Legislative Assembly approved on Tuesday night a bill presented by President Nayib Bukele, which cuts the number of municipalities in El Salvador from 262 to 44.

The Special Law for Municipal Restructuring, which will take effect as of May 1, 2024, was approved with the votes of 67 out of 84 lawmakers in Congress.

The proposal was backed by Bukele's political party Nuevas Ideas, on the basis that the measure will cut costs and bureaucracy and promote greater efficiency. Those who support the proposal say it will generate savings of up to 750 million dollars.

According to Bukele, "many local mayors only devote themselves to stealing or see what personal benefit they can get from the people's resources" and he believes that the best way forward is to reduce the number of local leaders.

The president celebrated the decision on Wednesday.

“Today, after the democratic and overwhelming vote of the Legislative Assembly, I have signed and authorized the total reorganization of the political and administrative division of El Salvador, reducing the municipalities of our country from 262 to 44,” Bukele published on Twitter.

Lawmaker Christian Guevara, head of the Nuevas Ideas party, described the decision as "historic" considering that "more funds can be allocated to meet the needs of the population".

However, the opposition says that the reform will generate the conditions for Bukele´s New Ideas party to obtain or retain the majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly and make it harder for smaller parties to be elected in Congress.

Jaime Guevara, deputy of the leftist Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), said that the move is "a tactic of the government to maintain territorial control".

The Supreme Electoral Tribunal defined that the election of president and deputies to Congress will be held on Feb. 4 and the 44 mayors will be elected on March 3, 2024. Bukele has announced that he will seek reelection in the 2024 general elections.