Soldiers at a bus stop. Photo by El Salvador State of Exception is a security plan implemented by the Salvadoran Government to attack criminal gangs directly. The state of exception that restricts some constitutional guarantees has resulted in the arrest of over 68,000 alleged gang members.
The Salvadoran state of exception was initially approved in late March 2022 in response to a spike in homicides, which left 87 people dead and was attributed to the MS13 and 18 Street gangs.
On March 27, 2022, the Salvadoran Legislature approved the security measure for 30 days at the request of the security cabinet. Since then, the state of exception has been extended in 30-day increments consecutively over 19 times.
The State of Exception suspends the constitutional guarantees established in the following articles.
Salvadorans approve of the State of Exception
Based on surveys, most Salvadorans approve of the State of Exception being implemented by Salvadoran Authorities. In fact, a large percentage of the population wants more rigorous security measures.
CID Gallup
According to the latest opinion poll by CID Gallup, 92% of Salvadoran citizens agree with the security measures taken by President Nayib Bukele against gangs.
In detail, 82% strongly support the security measures, 10% somewhat, 4% a little, 2% not at all, and the remaining 2% did not respond. Luis Haug of CID Gallup presented the stats in the Frente a Frente TV program.
IUDOP
The survey by IUDOP, released on June 26, 2023, states that 81.8% of Salvadorans think the State of Exception has helped the country reduce crime a lot, and 13.2% say it has helped some.
FUNDAUNGO
The Fundaungo survey released March 27, 2023, shows that 85.6% of the population approves the implementation of the State of Exception regime (42.8% strongly agree and 42.8% agree), a percentage slightly lower than in November 2022, which was 89.8%.
Additionally, when asked: How much do you agree that the exception regime has been extended for eleven months? 82.2% of the population agreed or strongly agreed with the extensions.
| Date | Entity | Rating/Score |
|---|---|---|
| November 17, 2023 | CID Gallup State of Exception |
92.0% Approval View Survey |
| June 26, 2023 | IUDOP State of Exception |
95.0% Approval View Survey |
| March 27, 2023 | CID Gallup State of Exception |
92% Approval View Survey |
| March 27, 2023 | IUDOP State of Exception |
82.4% Approval View Survey |
| March 27, 2023 | FundaUngo State of Exception |
85.6% Approval. View Survey |
| December 12, 2022 | FundaUngo State of Exception |
89.8% Approval. View Survey |
| September, 2022 | CID Gallup State of Exception |
91% Approval View Survey |
| May, 2022 | LPG Datos State of Exception |
73.9% Approval View Survey |
| May 2022 | IUDOP State of Exception |
7.99 score out of 10 View Survey |
| April 2022 | CID Gallup State of Exception |
91% Approval View Survey |
Reactions to the El Salvador State of Exception
International and local organizations have condemned the Salvadoran State of Exception because, according to them, it has violated many fundamental individual human rights.
Humanitarian organizations, such as Cristosal, Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Amnesty International, have produced reports attacking the security strategy for alleged human rights violations.
Even though the State of Exception has produced good results, such as lowering the homicide rate, these organizations want the Salvadoran Government to stop the measure completely. However, most Salvadorans are happy with the security measure and want to continue its implementation.
On the first anniversary of the State of Exception, Tamara Taraciuk, the acting director at Human Rights Watch for the Americas, has intensified her remarks condemning the Bukele administration’s security policies.
She wants Latin American leaders to put pressure on the Bukele administration to respect human rights in El Salvador.
Salvadoran State of Exception
The Salvadoran State of Exception is part of Nayib Bukele’s Territorial Control Plan that aims to reduce crime and violence in El Salvador.
According to the Government and survey results, the security measure is producing excellent results, and people want the government to continue to extend it. However, there is plenty of evidence that some people not associated with gangs have been wrongfully arrested.
Violence has been one of the principal challenges Salvadorans have faced over the last 30 years. Life in El Salvador has gotten easier with the current levels of security.
