'Foreign' agents pitch has El Salvador civil society on edge
ABC News
El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has pitched a proposed law requiring people and organizations who receive foreign funding to register as “foreign agents,” following the lead of countries like the United States
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador -- El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has pitched a proposed law requiring people and organizations who receive foreign funding to register as “foreign agents,” following the lead of countries like the United States.
When the U.S. passed its own Foreign Agents Registration Act in 1938, World War II was on the horizon and the U.S. government was concerned about the spread of Nazi propaganda.
The very different political context in today’s El Salvador is raising concerns about the proposal that could be voted on as soon as Wednesday.
Two years into his term, Bukele enjoys high popularity. Earlier this year, his supporters gave his party a sweeping electoral victory allowing them to take control of the Legislative Assembly. The new congress in turn immediately replaced the justices of the Supreme Court’s constitutional chamber and the attorney general, all of whom had proved an obstacle to some of Bukele’s moves, especially early in the pandemic.
