Sunday’s rally to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Peace Accords. And protest against President Nayib Bukele’s policies brought low participation.
According to participants in the protest, it was a rally to defy the presidential order and not to celebrate the Peace Accords.
A few days earlier, the legislative assembly changed that January 16th will be a day to remember the victims of the armed conflict and not the Peace Accords. President Bukele ratified the change on Sunday, January 16th.
There are no official numbers on how many people attended the rally, but EFENews calculated the attendance at 2,000.
Hundreds of people – @EFEnoticias calculates 2,000 – took to the streets against the presidential order to forget the Peace Accords. As in October, checkpoints prevented the passage of attendees.” Nelson Rauda Zablah.
The turnout for the rally was lower compared to other protests that have taken place, such as the first on September 2021, where more than 10,000 people rallied.
Controversy followed the rally. On Monday, January 17th, FMLN’s Ruben Zamora confessed that there has been an agreement between the traditional parties FMLN and ARENA concerning the protests since they started.
Bukele’s opposition has argued that civil society is responsible for organizing these protests. However, Zamora expressed that the FMLN and ARENA had been involved since the first protest. “The marches are their strategy to get out of the hole they are in.” said the former presidential candidate.
There is an agreement from the first march between the political parties FMLN and ARENA. On Sunday, a faction of the FMLN broke the arrangement.” Ruben Zamora.
Ruben Zamora referred to members of the FMLN carrying flags of the political party. ARENA and FMLN had an agreement not to display the colors of their political parties during the rallies.
Ex-president Mauricio Funes, a fugitive from Salvadoran justice, gave his opinion regarding the low number of participants.
Is this what the new leadership of the FMLN under control of the Ramiristas was able to mobilize for the commemoration of the Peace? My impression is that they were forced to participate in the march due to pressure from their bases but not because they were determined to confront the Bukele government.” Mauricio Funes.
