Behind Bukele’s bid to reduce municipalities in El Salvador

President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador grabbed international attention once again by announcing a bill that would massively reduce the number of municipalities in the country, cutting local governments from 262 to 44.

The president also promised to reduce the number of congressmen from 84 to 60 during his state of the union address. He was quick to deliver on that latter pledge, with legislators rapidly sanctioning a reform to the country’s electoral code mere days after his initial promise.

The timing suggests that Mr. Bukele is looking to have both reforms in place before the country’s 2024 elections with the aim of consolidating his grip on power, having already secured control of the Supreme Court and the legislature, which are dominated by his allies.

By eliminating more than 80 percent of regional administrative units and one third of national legislators, the government is looking to save USD 250 million, a not insignificant sum for a country whose national budget amounts to USD 8.9 billion — close to 3 percent of that total. 

“We will no longer have 262 mayors, with 262 municipal councils, and all their collaborators, managers, secretaries, treasurers, supervisors, judicial advisors, press officers, drivers, assistants, assistants to their assistants, and so on,” Mr. Bukele said. 

“How can we have 262 municipalities for a country of just 21,000 square kilometers? We need to spend our money on public works and not on payroll.”