The Impact of the Crackdown on El Salvador's Democracy

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The crackdown is half the murder rate. Immigration is going down. The government will say this means people can live a life in El Salvador. Even El Salvador, which is a highly respected news outlet critical of Vukéli, it's said that the gangs have basically been broken up. So if some people are okay with the extent of these lockups, then what does that mean for El Salvador's democracy?

A country that was not long ago gripped by gang violence and crime is slowly emerging from fear, thanks to a brutal roundup of young men by a wildly popular, social-media-savvy president. The streets may be safer, but now it is El Salvador’s democracy that is in danger—and neighbouring countries’ leaders may take lessons from its budding autocrat.

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