Nayib Bukele: The Story of El Salvador’s President
Before he became one of the world’s most popular leaders, Nayib Bukele was in the advertising business. Now, as the President of El Salvador, Bukele is known for branding himself as the “world’s coolest dictator” and a “philosopher king.” However, more than anything, he is a former publicist who understands the power of image, both his own and that of his country.
The Rise of Nayib Bukele
In June, at his presidential office in San Salvador, Bukele granted his first interview to a foreign journalist in three years. He was dressed in black, and as he spoke, colorful peacocks wandered outside. “A leader should be a philosopher before he is a king,” Bukele said, reclining in his chair.
Bukele has made a name for himself by transforming El Salvador. At just 43 years old, he has turned a country once known as the world’s murder capital into a nation safer than Canada, according to Salvadoran government data. His mano dura (iron fist) policy has led to an aggressive crackdown on gangs, resulting in the arrest of 81,000 people and a significant drop in homicides. Today, Salvadorans can freely move through areas once controlled by gangs, enjoying parks and nightlife.
El Salvador now promotes itself as the “land of surf, volcanoes, and coffee,” hosting events like the Miss Universe pageant and attracting tourists and cryptocurrency enthusiasts to coastal spots like Bitcoin Beach. Bukele’s transformation of the country helped him easily win re-election, and his approval ratings currently top 90%, according to a CID Gallup poll.
Bukele’s Controversial Rule
Despite his popularity, Bukele has faced criticism for his defiance of constitutional and legal limits. Since 2022, he has ruled under emergency powers that suspend key civil liberties, including due process. His security regime allows arrests without warrants, even for minors as young as 12, and mass trials for suspects. Today, one in every 57 Salvadorans is incarcerated, giving El Salvador the highest incarceration rate in the world, even higher than the United States.
Bukele’s government has also removed top judges and replaced them with loyalists, which allowed him to bypass a constitutional ban and successfully run for a second term. His administration has been accused of human rights abuses, including arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and torture. Yet, Bukele brushes off these criticisms, claiming they are a small price to pay for the safety of the nation’s 6 million people.
The Bukele Miracle and Its Impact
Many people in El Salvador see Bukele as a visionary leader who has brought security and stability to a once-dangerous country. His methods have made him a role model for other leaders in Latin America, who are eager to replicate what they call “el milagro Bukele”—the Bukele miracle. However, there are concerns about the long-term sustainability of his policies.
While most Salvadorans are satisfied with the current state of the country’s democracy, 61% say they fear speaking out about its problems, according to a survey by Latinobarometro. Critics argue that Bukele is a social-media-savvy strongman who knows how to manipulate public opinion. They also worry that his focus on security may shift as economic challenges, such as poverty and foreign investment, become more pressing.
Bukele’s Journey to the Presidency
Nayib Bukele was born in San Salvador and grew up as one of ten children in a wealthy family. His father, Armando Bukele Kattán, was a successful businessman and imam of Palestinian descent. Bukele attended a private school and was shielded from the civil war that ravaged El Salvador in the 1980s.
Bukele briefly attended college to become a lawyer but dropped out to run a nightclub, a Yamaha dealership, and a political-advertising firm. In 2012, he decided to run for mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán, a small town near the capital. His campaign promised to turn the town into a modern model of development, and he quickly became popular for his innovative ideas and social media presence.
In 2015, Bukele ran for mayor of San Salvador and won. He continued to promote large public projects, like building a flashy market and installing lights on every corner of the city to fight crime. His social media strategy made him more popular than the sitting President, and he built an image of modern irreverence, often wearing casual clothes and a backward baseball cap.
Bukele’s Break from Tradition
By 2017, Bukele had outgrown the left-wing FMLN party that had once supported him. After a series of clashes with party leaders, he was expelled and quickly launched his own party, Nuevas Ideas. He ran for the presidency in 2019 as an anti-establishment populist, using social media to campaign and connect with voters. At just 37 years old, Bukele won the presidency with 53% of the vote.
Once in office, Bukele quickly modernized the presidential palace and began ambitious projects to renovate the capital and attract foreign investment. He made headlines worldwide in 2021 by making El Salvador the first country to use Bitcoin as legal tender, hoping to boost the economy and draw attention away from the country’s violent past. While the move hasn’t had the widespread adoption Bukele hoped for, it has succeeded in putting El Salvador on the global map.
The Struggles and Successes of Bukele’s Policies
In March 2022, the fragile truce between Bukele and the gangs collapsed, leading to a surge in violence. Bukele responded by implementing a new mano dura policy, declaring a “state of exception” that restricted freedoms and allowed for mass arrests. The military and police swept through gang-controlled areas, arresting more than 1,000 people per day.
This approach, while controversial, has been effective in reducing violence. Homicides in El Salvador have dropped by over 70% since 2023, according to government data. However, the crackdown has also filled the country’s jails to overflowing, leading Bukele to build a new mega-prison, the Centro de Contenimiento del Terrorismo (CECOT), which can hold 40,000 inmates.
The conditions in these prisons have been harsh, with prisoners stripped to their underwear and given minimal food. Despite accusations of human rights violations, Bukele argues that the harsh conditions are necessary to keep the country safe.
Bukele’s Growing Influence
Despite the criticisms, Bukele’s tough approach has won him admirers in other countries. Leaders in Honduras, Ecuador, and Argentina are looking to implement similar policies. Even in the United States, Bukele has found supporters, particularly among right-wing politicians. Bukele has invited prominent U.S. figures to visit El Salvador, and his growing influence in the region has not gone unnoticed by the Biden Administration.
However, the long-term success of Bukele’s policies remains uncertain. While he has brought peace and security to El Salvador, the economic challenges facing the country are significant. Public debt has soared, and the economy remains weak. Bukele’s decision to invest in cryptocurrency has not been well received by foreign investors, and there are concerns about the lack of transparency in his government’s spending.
The Future of El Salvador Under Bukele
As Nayib Bukele begins his second term as President of El Salvador, the world is watching closely. His policies have made the country safer, but at what cost? Critics argue that Bukele’s focus on security has come at the expense of democracy and human rights. Others worry that his economic policies, particularly his embrace of Bitcoin, may lead to financial instability.
For now, Bukele’s popularity remains strong, especially among those who lived through the terror of gang violence. But the future is uncertain. Whether Bukele’s model of leadership will continue to succeed in El Salvador and beyond is a question that only time will answer.
As El Salvador continues its transformation under Bukele’s leadership, the world will be watching to see if the Bukele miracle can be sustained, or if it will ultimately prove to be a costly experiment in authoritarianism.
