Editing Central America (section)

== Politics ==
===Leaders===
<gallery>
File:Retrato oficial de Presidente Bernardo Arévalo (cropped 4).jpg|[[Bernardo Arévalo]] Guatemala
File:Presidente Bukele (cropped).jpg|[[Nayib Bukele]] El Salvador
File:Xiomara Castro 2022 (cropped).jpg|[[Xiomara Castro]] Honduras
File:Daniel Ortega 2014 (cropped).jpg|[[Daniel Ortega]] Nicaragua
File:CCC CPerez 87 .jpg| [[Rosario Murillo]] Nicaragua
File:Rodrigo Chaves, discurso posesión (cropped).jpg|[[Rodrigo Chaves Robles]] Costa Rica
File:José Raúl Mulino (호세 라울 물리노) 20241112.jpg|[[José Raúl Mulino]] Panama
File:Johnny Briceño (52135383761) (cropped).jpg|[[Johnny Briceño]] Belize
</gallery>

=== Integration ===
{{Main|Central American Integration System}}
{{Infobox geopolitical organization
| name                   = [[Central American Integration System|Central American<br />Integration System]]
| native_name            = {{lower|5px|''Sistema de<br />Integración Centroamericana''}}
| image_symbol           = SICA ZP.svg
| motto                  = "Peace, Development, Liberty and Democracy"
| anthem                 = ''La Granadera''
| area_km2               = 523,780
| population_estimate    = 52,176,283{{citation needed|date=February 2025}}
| population_estimate_year = 2022
| population_density_km2 = {{pop density|52176283|523780|prec=1|disp=num}}
| membership_type        = Countries
| membership             = {{ubl|Belize| Costa Rica| El Salvador| Guatemala| Honduras| Nicaragua| Panama| Dominican Republic}}
}}

Central America is currently undergoing a process of political, economic and cultural transformation that started in 1907 with the creation of the [[Central American Court of Justice]].

In 1951 the integration process continued with the signature of the San Salvador Treaty, which created the ODECA, the Organization of Central American States. However, the unity of the ODECA was limited by conflicts between several member states.

In 1991, the integration agenda was further advanced by the creation of the [[Central American Integration System]] (''Sistema para la Integración Centroamericana'', or SICA). SICA provides a clear legal basis to avoid disputes between the member states. SICA membership includes the 7 nations of Central America plus the [[Dominican Republic]], a state that is traditionally considered part of the Caribbean.

On 6 December 2008, SICA announced an agreement to pursue a common currency and common passport for the member nations.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.france24.com/en/20081206-central-american-leaders-agree-common-currency-|title=Central American leaders agree on common currency|work=France 24|access-date=2018-03-05|language=en-US}}</ref> No timeline for implementation was discussed.

Central America already has several supranational institutions such as the [[Central American Parliament]], the [[Central American Bank for Economic Integration]] and the [[Central American Common Market]].

On 22 July 2011, President [[Mauricio Funes]] of El Salvador became the first president ''[[pro tempore]]'' to SICA. El Salvador also became the headquarters of SICA with the inauguration of a new building.<ref name=BESS2013 />
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=== Parliament ===
{{Main|Central American Parliament}}
[[File:Emblema del Parlamento Centroamericano.svg|thumb|Emblem of the [[Central American Parliament]]]]
The Central American Parliament (aka PARLACEN) is a political and parliamentary body of SICA. The parliament started around 1980, and its primary goal was to resolve conflicts in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador. Although the group was disbanded in 1986, ideas of unity of Central Americans still remained, so a treaty was signed in 1987 to create the Central American Parliament and other political bodies. Its original members were Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras. The parliament is the political organ of Central America, and is part of SICA. New members have since then joined including Panama and the Dominican Republic.

Costa Rica is not a member State of the Central American Parliament and its adhesion remains as a very unpopular topic at all levels of the Costa Rican society due to existing strong political criticism towards the regional parliament, since it is regarded by Costa Ricans as a menace to democratic accountability and effectiveness of integration efforts. Excessively high salaries for its members, legal immunity of jurisdiction from any member State, corruption, lack of a binding nature and effectiveness of the regional parliament's decisions, high operative costs and immediate membership of Central American Presidents once they leave their office and presidential terms, are the most common reasons invoked by Costa Ricans against the Central American Parliament.{{citation needed|date=January 2019}}

=== Foreign relations ===
{{See also|Sino-Latin America relations}}
Until recently,{{when|date=January 2019}} all Central American countries maintained diplomatic relations with [[Taiwan]] instead of China. President [[Óscar Arias]] of Costa Rica, however, established diplomatic relations with China in 2007, severing formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.<ref name=TCNYT /> After breaking off relations with the Republic of China in 2017, Panama established diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China. In August 2018, El Salvador also severed ties with Taiwan to formally start recognizing the People's Republic of China as sole China, a move many considered lacked transparency due to its abruptness and reports of the Chinese government's desires to invest in the department of La Union while also promising to fund the ruling party's reelection campaign.<ref>{{Cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/24/world/asia/taiwan-el-salvador-china.amp.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/24/world/asia/taiwan-el-salvador-china.amp.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited | title=White House Criticizes China over el Salvador Recognition| newspaper=The New York Times| date=24 August 2018| last1=Ramzy| first1=Austin}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The President of El Salvador, [[Nayib Bukele]], broke diplomatic relations with Taiwan and established ties with [[China]]. On 9 December 2021, Nicaragua resumed relations with the PRC.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nicaragua cuts ties with Taiwan and pivots to China |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/10/nicaragua-cuts-ties-with-taiwan-and-pivots-to-china |work=The Guardian |date=10 December 2021 |language=en}}</ref>
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