- The country's youngest president is credited with his crackdown on gang violence bringing the homicide rate plunging down from 105 to 7.8 in 100,000 people, while also boosting the country's image
- Critics say his achievements in law and order came at the cost of civil liberties, with many of the tens of thousands detained not given fair trial, says Luis Villaherrera, founder of democracy advocacy group TRACODABOGOTA, Colombia
Nayib Bukele, the president of El Salvador, is expected to secure a second term in office when the country votes on Sunday as 90% of Salvadorans support him, despite a constitutional ban on reelection. In 2021, however, the Supreme Court, composed of justices selected by Bukele's supporters in Congress, ruled that the president could seek a second five-year term in this year's elections.
President Bukele's overwhelming popularity is attributed to an offensive against criminal gangs that have dramatically reduced homicide rates and restored security in what was one of the world's most dangerous countries, but transformed into one of the safest in the region.
In 2015, El Salvador faced 105 murders per 100,000 residents, but Bukele's crime crackdown reduced this figure to 7.8 per 100,000.
“This security success catapulted Bukele into popularity,” says Luis Villaherrera, founder of TRACODA, an organization that seeks to strengthen democracy in El Salvador. “The people who experienced constant gang violence and extortion on a daily basis, live in relative peace today.”
While Bukele's anti-gang policies have improved security, they have raised concerns among human rights groups and democracy advocates like Villaherrera. A state of emergency instituted in 2022 led to arrests without court orders, arbitrary detentions, and abuses, raising international outcry and concerns about the violation of civil liberties.
Under Bukele, El Salvador has had one of the highest incarceration rates in the world, with an estimated 2% of its adult population behind bars. According to government figures, more than 75,000 people have been arrested, while his administration opened a new mega-prison designed to house 40,000 people last year. About 7,000 detainees have since been freed for lack of evidence, but activists say many innocents remain behind bars.
“Human rights have been sacrificed for security,” says Villaherrea. “Some people have died inside prisons because they do not have the appropriate conditions to live inside, there are mass trials that do not respect the individuality of each of the accused and the state of emergency is no longer the exception, but the norm and this leads to the systematic violation of human rights where any person can be taken to prison without due process.”
Villaherrera argues that these measures have expanded the powers granted to the military that belonged to the police, opening the door to civil liberty violations.
“There is a transfer of fear, perhaps not to the same extent, from the gangs to the militarization of the armed forces because they manage part of public security that the police should be responsible for.”
A price for stability
Some Salvadorans, like 70-year-old Uber driver Roberto Gonzalez, see Bukele's methods as necessary for stability despite concerns about human rights violations.
“It may be true that there are some who unjustly went to prison but we have to pay a price for our stability,” says Gonzalez, an avid Bukele supporter. “Before President Bukele, it was difficult to go for a walk downtown San Salvador, you couldn't even take your cell phone out, or travel throughout the country. Those of us who did not dare to go to some places can now go everywhere.”
Many people see Bukele as the cure to years of traditional politicians and institutions that failed to solve problems of insecurity, poverty, and corruption.
Otto Boris Rodriguez, a university student of international relations, applauds Bukele for implementing policies that benefit the population.
“Previous governments forgot about the population. Bukele has implemented public policies in favor of the population, and although they are not perfect, they are well thought out towards us,” he says.
Rodriguez and Gonzalez also celebrate the president's efforts to boost the country’s international image and attract tourism, hosting events like the Central American and Caribbean Games in July and the Miss Universe competition in November.
“Before Bukele that would have been unthinkable,” Gonzalez points out.
The 37-year-old president has inspired candidates in other Latin American countries where security is also a pressing need. Aspiring politicians have promised to replicate the "Bukele effect" in their own nations, including Argentina, Ecuador, Honduras, Guatemala, and Costa Rica.
Bukele's media strategy, using platforms like Facebook and TikTok, has contributed to his popularity. The youngest president of El Salvador has comfortably used Facebook and TikTok to promote his achievements. On the social media platform X alone, he has almost 6 million followers.
It has also helped that the opposition has been almost non-existent. Opposition parties like the historical Arena and the FMLN have carried out a minimal political campaign. The presidential candidate for the FMLN party, Manuel Flores, proposed for instance a subsidy for gym enrollment to foster an athletic country.
Despite the historically low murder rates, Bukele faces criticism for failing to address the country's fragile economy, with 26% of the population living in multidimensional poverty, according to the UN's World Food Programme.
Experts, including Villaherrera, argue that the government's focus on security measures and mass incarceration is unsustainable for long-term problem-solving, emphasizing the need for economic solutions.
