U.S. to press El Salvador president for 'more constructive behavior': official

FILE PHOTO: El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele speaks at a promotion ceremony from policemen to corporals in San Salvador, El Salvador September 30, 2020. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Biden administration plans to engage with El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to encourage “more constructive behavior” after he removed the country’s leading prosecutor and lawmakers aligned with him voted to remove top judges on the supreme court, a senior White House official told Reuters on Monday.

Echoing the criticism expressed on Sunday by U.S. President Joe Biden’s top aides, the official said of Bukele, who has high poll ratings: “What we have found is that popularity does not give you carte blanche to undermine democratic institutions.”