Nayib Bukele, 42 years old and leader of the Nuevas Ideas (NI) party, has won the presidential and legislative elections in El Salvador with an abysmal advantage over his opponents.

According to the president himself, Bukele has imposed himself with 85% of the votes. Until midnight this Sunday, the preliminary scrutiny of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) of El Salvador had reached 31.49% and 1,295,888 votes for President Nayib Bukele.

With these results, which must be ratified in a final scrutiny With the physical records, Bukele would obtain an overwhelming advantage over the second largest force in the country, the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN, left), which would have obtained 110,244 votes.

Nayib Bukele is the active Latin American leader who enjoys greater popularity thanksto a large degree, to its controversial street safety policy and fight against gangs.

Heavy hand and violation of Human Rights

Bukele controls the three powers of the State and In March 2022, a state of emergency was imposed which has continued since then. Its controversial security strategy entails some 74,000 detainees, the dismantling of gangs and homicide rates among the lowest in Latin America through the suspension of fundamental rights, such as that of expression and organization.

Unconstitutional re-election

Likewise, the elected president of El Salvador has violated the Constitution to run for re-electionsince since the country entered democracy, the constitutional prohibition of immediate re-election was established.

However, the Supreme Electoral Court admitted Bukele’s candidacy. The judges of the Supreme Court, loyal to the president, reinterpreted the Constitution in their own way and granted him the opportunity to run for re-election. Something that the opposition denounced at the time.

Influential figure in Latin America

Bukele has a great influence in Latin America, especially visible in countries such as Ecuador, Argentina and Paraguay fostered by the heavy-handed policies implemented, innovation in economic matters with the adoption of bitcoin as legal tenderthe critical stance towards organizations such as the Organization of American States (OAS) and its style that many describe as authoritarian.

Since his election in 2019, the Salvadoran head of state has stood out for his intensive use of social networksits focus on public safety, particularly combating gangs, and its interest in technology and innovationas demonstrated by its commitment to bitcoin as legal currency in the country.

This style of governing and the policies implemented in his administration, sometimes highly questioned by organizations and human rights activists who consider them incompatible with democratic principles, have exerted a strong influence on the decisions taken by other Latin American leaders.

Charge against the Spanish press

In his first speech as elected president of El Salvador, Bukele has attacked Spain, specifically against the press. Bukele has explained that a spanish journalist was asking why “they want to dismantle democracy”: “I told him, but what democracy are you talking about? Democracy means the power of the people. ‘Demos’ and ‘Kratos’. That’s where the word democracy comes from,” he declared in reference to his victory in the elections.

“This means the power of the people. If the Salvadoran people want this, Why is a Spanish journalist going to come and tell us what Salvadorans have to do? What democracy are you talking about? He talks about the democracy that his bosses tell him there in Spain. But that is not democracy. That would be colonialism, imperialism, elitism, plutocracy, you can call it whatever you want,” he said.

For Bukele, democracy “is that the Salvadorans” choose their government. Thus, he has appealed to journalists, NGOs and international organizations, who have criticized him during his last term. the violation of human rights in his war against gangs.

His personal life

Bukele began his career Legal Sciences at the José Simeón Cañas Central American University (UCA El Salvador) after graduating from high school in 1999. But he did not finish his higher education.

He married the psychologist, educator and dancer Gabriela Rodríguez in December 2014, with whom he has two daughters: Layla, 4 years old, and Aminah, who was born in 2023.

In 2019, Bukele came to power as the “millennial president” youngest in Latin America. She achieved great popularity for her charisma and his casual style. However, she has always been in the spotlight of international analysts and observers who have denounced its security policy for the constant violation of human rights.