- El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, is revered as a national hero for taking on vicious gangs.
- Bukele became well-known in 2022 after waging a brutal war on gangs that had ravaged El Salvador.
- As Bukele’s stature rises, several regional leaders are looking to “The Bukele Model” to help them resolve security-related issues.
El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, is revered as a national hero for taking on vicious gangs. On the other hand, some see him as an authoritarian of the twenty-first century who has violated human rights and rigged the game to maintain power.
Few other Latin American leaders have attracted international interest as much as Bukele has in the last several years. Given the backing of seven to nine out of ten voters, El Salvador’s self-described “coolest dictator in the world” is expected to win a second term as president.
El Salvador
Following the murder of his cousin by the Mara Salvatrucha gang, Alex Cisneros escaped to the United States and thinks Bukele has changed and is well-liked by locals in El Salvador.
The Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and Honduras are just a few of the nations in Latin America where human rights activists fear Bukele’s harsh methods would eventually reach other nations facing similar security issues.
Bukele became well-known in 2022 after waging a brutal war on gangs that had ravaged El Salvador. His administration has declared a state of emergency and imprisoned 76,000 people, or more than 1% of the populace, in jails where human rights organizations have recorded instances of abuse and the deaths of over 150 prisoners. The administration has additionally been charged with persistent violations of human rights.
Félix Ulloa, Bukele’s vice presidential running mate, admitted that the government detained thousands of people without cause, but he disagreed that the government had suspended the rights of “honorable” Salvadorans. El Salvador now has one of the lowest homicide rates in the Americas, and the main focus of his campaign has been the fight against gangs.
On the other hand, the charismatic leader, constitutional attorneys, analysts, and opposition politicians pose long-term hazards to democracy. As Bukele’s stature rises, several regional leaders are looking to “The Bukele Model” to help them resolve security-related issues they are facing.
Gangsters in neighboring Honduras were apprehended by the authorities, who promised to imprison them on an isolated island. El Salvador’s economy has stagnated while worldwide inflation has surged, despite efforts to portray prosperity. In 2023, about half of Salvadorans experienced food insecurity.
