Central American leaders asked Tuesday for respect for the sovereignty of their countries before the United Nations General Assembly, in response to claims from abroad that in nations such as Guatemala and El Salvador democracy is undermined by actions of their governments.
The United States is one of the main countries that has criticized what it considers a weakening of democracy in Guatemala and El Salvador, although it has been more cordial with the government of Honduran President Xiomara Castro.
Washington demands more action from these governments to stop the migration of thousands of Central Americans fleeing poverty and violence in their countries. The United States also attributes the root of migration to corruption in the region.
Some organizations have denounced that they also view with concern the return of authoritarian regimes in a region that, until just over three decades ago, was the scene of several internal wars that left thousands dead and disappeared.
Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele, who recently announced that he will seek re-election despite the fact that his country’s Constitution prohibits it and is criticized for a prolonged exceptional regime to combat gangs, took almost 10 minutes of his speech to defend his actions and call for the defense of the sovereignty of nations.
Accompanied by his wife and young daughter, Bukele used a metaphor of two neighbors, one rich and one poor, to exemplify what, according to him, happens with the criticism he receives, where a powerful neighbor does not let the poor neighbor “improve and clean ” his house.
