February 06, 2024

Statement from Castro, McGovern, Jesús “Chuy” García, Casar, Kamlager-Dove, Ramirez on the General Election in El Salvador

WASHINGTON – Following Sunday’s general election in El Salvador, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), the highest-ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere released the following statement with Congressman James P. McGovern (MA-02), co-chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, Congressman Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Congressman Greg Casar (TX-35), Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-30), and Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (IL-03):

“As members of Congress who are committed to democracy and human rights, we strongly support the people of El Salvador and their right to fair and democratic elections.

While it is important that the Salvadoran people exercised their right to vote, we recognize that El Salvador’s recent presidential and legislative elections took place during a continuing state of exception that has suppressed civil liberties and incarcerated hundreds of thousands of Salvadorans without due process. We are concerned that major pre-election changes to El Salvador’s democratic process – including the unconstitutional reversal of a longstanding ban on consecutive presidential terms – provided an unfair incumbent advantage.

The U.S.-El Salvador bilateral relationship is critical to advancing shared priorities, including migration and economic development. This relationship is most effective when democracy, rule of law, and human rights are respected in both countries. We are dedicated to continuing to work with the Salvadoran people to address these concerns.

El Salvador is a key partner to the United States, and we are eager to support Salvadorans as they work to strengthen their democracy and constitutional protections. We commend members of civil society in El Salvador – including journalists – for their work to support human rights and secure a safe and prosperous future for their country and we encourage the Salvadoran government to reaffirm its commitment to these same goals."