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Anti-graft candidate poised to win El Salvador presidency
Source: The Guardian
Anti-graft candidate poised to win El Salvador presidency
Nayib Bukele favoured to win Sunday’s vote, after running on a platform targeting corruption
Anna-Catherine Brigida in San Salvador
Fri 1 Feb 2019 05.00 GMT
“Corruption is the plague that infests our country,” said Omar Garcia, a 37-year-old janitor from El Salvador’s capital San Salvador, reflecting the primary concern of much of the electorate ahead of Sunday’s presidential election.
A series of corruption scandals have left Salvadorans fed up with leaders who have pillaged government coffers for their own benefit while the country struggles to address the widespread inequality, unemployment, and insecurity that has led to mass emigration.
The favourite to win is Nayib Bukele, a 37-year-old former businessman and mayor of San Salvador, formerly of the ruling leftwing FMLN party. He has stood on an anti-graft platform and campaigned on the slogan: “There’s enough money when no one steals.”
Since at least 2015, an anti-corruption wave, exposing and prosecuting politicians who enjoyed impunity for decades, has swept Central America. It started with a peaceful citizen uprising in neighbouring Guatemala that brought thousands to the streets, forced the resignation of a now-imprisoned president, and swept supposed political outsider Jimmy Morales to the presidency.
-snip-
Nayib Bukele favoured to win Sunday’s vote, after running on a platform targeting corruption
Anna-Catherine Brigida in San Salvador
Fri 1 Feb 2019 05.00 GMT
“Corruption is the plague that infests our country,” said Omar Garcia, a 37-year-old janitor from El Salvador’s capital San Salvador, reflecting the primary concern of much of the electorate ahead of Sunday’s presidential election.
A series of corruption scandals have left Salvadorans fed up with leaders who have pillaged government coffers for their own benefit while the country struggles to address the widespread inequality, unemployment, and insecurity that has led to mass emigration.
The favourite to win is Nayib Bukele, a 37-year-old former businessman and mayor of San Salvador, formerly of the ruling leftwing FMLN party. He has stood on an anti-graft platform and campaigned on the slogan: “There’s enough money when no one steals.”
Since at least 2015, an anti-corruption wave, exposing and prosecuting politicians who enjoyed impunity for decades, has swept Central America. It started with a peaceful citizen uprising in neighbouring Guatemala that brought thousands to the streets, forced the resignation of a now-imprisoned president, and swept supposed political outsider Jimmy Morales to the presidency.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/01/anti-graft-candidate-poised-to-win-el-salvador-presidency
