Some 4,000 people flocked to the streets in El Salvador on Sunday to express a variety of grievances against President Nayib Bukele, ranging from the adoption of bitcoin as legal currency to the removal of Supreme Court judges, which critics see as a power grab.
According to local media reports, the protesters marched through the capital city of San Salvador with banners and slogans opposing bitcoin, which became legal tender in the Central American country last month.
The demonstrators were also opposed to the dismissal of Supreme Court judges and the possibility of Bukele seeking re-election for a second straight term.
On the streets, they chanted slogans such as "What is El Salvador's goal? Getting rid of the dictator is a must!" Protesters set fire to a toy depicting the 40-year-old president in the capital's main square.
Last month, Bukele declared himself "dictator" of the Central American country on his Twitter account, ostensibly as a joke amid fears about his growing power.
In May, a Congress dominated for the first time by Bukele's New Ideas party decided to fire the judges on the Supreme Court's constitutional panel, including some of the country's most senior jurists, as well as the attorney general at the time.
Replacements who were perceived as friendly to Bukele were quickly voted in, drawing heavy criticism from the U.S. and leading international human rights organizations.
After Supreme Court judges declared that the president may seek a second consecutive term, which the U.S. deemed illegal, Bukele's administration came under assault from Washington.
"We're totally losing our rights because they do not respect the laws. Here, what is done is the will of Nayib," Rosa Granados, a labor union member who took part in the demonstrations, said.
"If he raises his hand, all of the deputies endorse it, and no legislation or legal process is followed," she continued.
On his Twitter account, Bukele, a seasoned and frequently outspoken user of social media, characterized the protests as a "failure."
"They realize the march is a failure... no one believes them here anymore," Bukele wrote.
