On Saturday night, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele ordered the diplomatic corps of Venezuela on to leave the country in 48 hours, giving his support to the head of Venezuelan parliament, Juan Guaidó.
Venezuela responded in the same way, in compliance with the principle of reciprocity.
The government of El Salvador expels the diplomatic corps from the regime of Nicolás Maduro, being consistent with the repeated statements of President Nayib Bukele, in which he does not recognize the legitimacy of the Maduro government,”
said the Presidency of the Republic in a statement.
Since before taking office last June, Bukele had said he would maintain a “distant” relationship with the Maduro government and a very close relationship with the United States, which has demanded Maduro’s exit from power. In fact, the US ambassador to San Salvador, Ronald Johnson, reacted with approval for the government’s decision.
The Bukele government recalled that it has supported resolutions within the Organization of American States (OAS) following UN reports that have denounced serious violations of human rights in Venezuela.
The government of President Nayib Bukele recognizes the legitimacy of the president in charge, Juan Guaidó, until free elections are held,”
said the presidential statement.
A report by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Chilean Michelle Bachelet, said last July that the Venezuelan government reported 5,287 deaths due to “resistance to authority” in 2018 and another 1,569 between January 1 and May 19. 2019. Many of those cases, according to Bachelet, constitute extrajudicial executions.
Since Bukele came to power, relations between San Salvador and Washington have increased after signing an asylum agreement, as it did with Guatemala and Honduras.
Last week, Washington also announced an extension so that some 250,000 Salvadorans under the Temporary Protected Statute (TPS) can legally reside and work in the country.
On the other hand, the Salvadoran president is distant with Nicaragua, an ally of Venezuela and whose government granted asylum and more recently the nationality to former Salvadoran president Mauricio Funes (2009-2014), who is required by the Salvadoran justice for corruption.