El Salvador’s National Assembly in an early morning session on Sunday approved a state of emergency request made by President Nayib Bukele to tame a wave of gang-related killings over the weekend.
The decree, which grants the government special powers by loosening arrest rules for as long as 30 days, follows a spike in gang violence that claimed 62 lives on Saturday alone, the Assembly said in a statement on its website.
“Unless you are a gang member or authorities consider you suspicious,” daily life in El Salvador should continue mostly as normal, Bukele said on Twitter. Religious, cultural, business and sports activities aren’t affected by the emergency, which was approved by 67 votes out of 84, the Assembly said.
