Feb 04 El Salvador votes in elections with self-described ‘world’s coolest dictator’ likely to win By Megan Janetsky, Marcos Aleman, Associated Press Salvadorans are voting Sunday in presidential and legislative elections that experts say are largely about the tradeoff between security and democracy. With soaring approval ratings and virtually no competition, Nayib Bukele is almost certainly headed for a second term as president. Continue reading
Feb 02 Watch 9:15 El Salvador’s vice president discusses controversial crackdown on gangs, upcoming election By Amna Nawaz, Teresa Cebrián Aranda El Salvador is holding its election and all eyes are on incumbent President Nayib Bukele. He came to power in 2019 and has overseen a brutal crackdown on gangs that terrorized the nation for decades. His popularity has soared, but… Continue watching
Jan 31 El Salvador vice president acknowledges mistakes in war on gangs but says country is ‘not a police state’ By Megan Janetsky, Associated Press Félix Ulloa, temporarily on leave as El Salvador's vice president while he runs for reelection alongside Nayib Bukele, has denied accusations that their administration has made undemocratic moves to consolidate power. Continue reading
May 21 At least 9 killed, dozens hurt in stampede at soccer stadium in El Salvador By Marcos Aleman, Associated Press At least nine people were killed and dozens more injured when stampeding soccer fans pushed through one of the access gates at a quarterfinal match in the Salvadoran league Saturday. Continue reading
May 19 In El Salvador, transgender community struggles for rights and survival By María Teresa Hernández, Associated Press SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Transgender people in El Salvador face violence and discrimination in their deeply religious country. They are unable to obtain IDs that are consistent with their gender identity, making daily life a struggle. Continue reading
Oct 10 19 people killed as Julia drenches Central America and triggers landslides By Associated Press Former hurricane Julia has dissipated but is drenching Guatemala and El Salvador with rain after reemerging in the Pacific. Continue reading
Mar 27 El Salvador declares state of emergency amid killings By Associated Press Fourteen people were killed Friday and 62 people died Saturday, a scale of violence that has not been seen for years. By comparison, there were 79 homicides in the entire month of February. Continue reading
Jan 28 IMF urges El Salvador to scale back its push for Bitcoin as legal tender By Claudia Torrens, Associated Press The International Monetary Fund says that El Salvador should dissolve the $150 million trust fund it created when it made the cryptocurrency Bitcoin legal tender and return any of those unused funds to its treasury. Continue reading
Dec 25 El Salvador frees three women convicted of abortions By Associated Press Morena Herrera of the Citizen's Group for the Depenalization of Abortion said late Friday that the group was told one woman would be set free at presidential order, but when they went to the prison to greet her, three were… Continue reading
Sep 15 Thousands protest against Bukele government in El Salvador By Marcos Aleman, Associated Press The demonstration Wednesday centered on fears Bukele may try for re-election in 2024. Protests also voiced concern about the president's concentration of power and the controversial decision to make the cryptocurrency Bitcoin legal tender. Continue reading