The report of the first year of government is maintained for Monday, June 1 at ten in the morning, replied Norman Quijano through a tweet.
Nayib Bukele remains reluctant to account for his management. Less than three days to comply his first year at the head of the Executive body, sent a correspondence to the president of the Assembly, Mario Ponce, requesting an extension so as not to render his report to the Legislative this Monday, June 1.
“I would like to ask that State Organ that you preside over to reschedule this important ceremony, until the end of the quarantine period implemented in our country, all this in accordance with the extraordinary measures that we as Government are taking to protect the health of the Salvadoran people , in order to contain the growth and expansion of COVID-19, ”justified Bukele in a note sent on Tuesday, May 27 to Mario Ponce, president of the Legislative Assembly.
Yesterday, upon learning of Bukele’s claim, the Assembly’s Board of Directors met and replied that the request to postpone his report to the first-year nation was not in order.
ALSO: Bukele threatens to “reform the state of truth” after the pandemic
In this regard, the Board of Directors of the Legislative Assembly has decided to keep the date of the Solemn Session for this June 1. This Congress is ready to receive you in accordance with its high investiture, attending as it is foreseeable the measures of health, limited assistance, and social distancing already prepared with due notice, ”details the note Ponce replied to Bukele.
In addition, he adds, “his presence in the Assembly will meet the need for Salvadorans to know first-hand the state of the nation after one year and the plans executed to date to solve the enormous challenges we face and demand.”
“It is something unprecedented that a president does not submit his management report to the Assembly,” said Ponce.
The president of the Legislative Body reminded him in his note of the obligation to give his report to the nation contained in Article 64 No. 3 of the Internal Regulations of the Legislative Assembly, something that was not to the liking of Bukele and replied that “the request what I did to the Assembly was a deference. The reform of the date has already been made in the Internal Regulations of the Executive Body, ”said Bukele.
“There is no article of the Constitution, not even of some law, that speaks about that event,” he reiterated.
The governor’s responses sparked an avalanche of comments from deputies.
René Portillo Cuadra of ARENA assured that Bukele cannot stop giving his report to the country on Monday, June 1.
“This accountability by law tries to explain to the population what is the state of the nation, what are the problems that afflict the country and what are the possible solutions. In the context of this pandemic, the President of the Republic is even more obliged to give that report to the Assembly, ”he said.
For her part, the FMLN deputy, Cristina Cornejo assured that “the health emergency should not be an excuse to avoid accountability and transparency,” and questioned: “Why are you afraid of transparency and accountability? The President cannot refuse to report to the Assembly. ”
He added, “Article 168, paragraph 7 of the Constitution of the Republic requires the President to be accountable when the Assembly requests it. They continue to violate the law. ”
Lawyers affirm that the mandate of the Assembly must be fulfilled
Different lawyers consulted assured that although the Constitution does not indicate as such the obligation of Bukele to give a message on June 1, there is an obligation to report to the Legislative Assembly when requested.
“It is not at the discretion of the president whether he complies or not; the Constitution clearly states in article 168 that it is obliged to render the reports that the Legislative Assembly requests, so says the seventh ordinal, and that report is already requested by the Assembly through its Internal Regulations, “said attorney Humberto. Saenz.
“There is no obligation on the president to come to that plenary” (Solemn Session of June 1) and give the report as it has been done in the traditional way, unless the Legislative Assembly calls it and asks for the report. “There he will be obliged to do so,” explained the executive director of Acción Ciudadana, Eduardo Escobar.
While Francisco Bertrand Galindo explained that no article of the Constitution obliges the president to present an accountability report.
“Neither the Constitution on the side of the Legislative Assembly, nor the obligations of the Presidency of the Republic is to render a personal report, it is like a culture that comes from years, as a form of respect for the people and the Legislative Assembly where the President gives a personal report on June 1, ”said the lawyer.
SEE ALSO: US Congressmen Urge Bukele not to use COVID-19 as a pretext to undermine the Constitution
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