Nayib Bukele’s power grab in El Salvador
A young president is weakening democratic institutions and empowering his family
ON MARCH 13TH Carlos Henríquez Cortez returned to El Salvador from a two-day business trip in Guatemala. The 67-year-old engineer planned to quarantine at home. He knew that, to control the spread of covid-19, the government was holding returning travellers and visitors in “containment centres”. The elderly were exempt, or so Mr Henríquez thought. Airport guards detained him anyway. His containment centre had no toilet paper or space for social distancing, he told his wife. Mr Henríquez developed a fever. Authorities told him he could not have covid-19 because no cases had been reported in Guatemala. In hospital he tested positive for the disease. He died on April 22nd.
This article appeared in the The Americas section of the print edition under the headline “The rise of the house of Bukele”
From the May 9th 2020 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from The Americas
Can Brazil’s left survive without Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva?
Brazil’s current president, a titan of the Latin American left, has no apparent heirs
Donald Trump is targeting Mexico like no other country
The United States’ southern neighbour is bracing for a wave of deportees and trapped migrants
The race to lead Canada’s Liberal Party hinges on handling Trump
Mark Carney and Chrystia Freeland are the front-runners
Canada has adopted assisted dying faster than anywhere on Earth
The province of Quebec now allows those with deteriorating illnesses to request an assisted death in advance
Tether’s move to El Salvador is a win for President Nayib Bukele
Why the stablecoin firm has picked the Central American country for its headquarters
From Greenland to Panama and Mexico, leaders are in shock
As Donald Trump eyes fine new pieces of real estate in the Americas and beyond