View source for Nayib Bukele

{{Short description|President of El Salvador since 2019}}
{{Redirect|Bukele|other people with this surname|Bukele (surname)}}
{{Family name hatnote|Bukele|Ortez|lang=Spanish}}
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{{Use American English|date=October 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific_prefix = [[Excellency|His Excellency]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oas.org/en/member_states/member_state.asp?sCode=ELS|title=Member State: El Salvador – Government Officials|language=en|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[Organization of American States]]|date=August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404074054/https://www.oas.org/en/member_states/member_state.asp?sCode=ELS|archive-date=4 April 2024|url-status=live}}</ref>
| name             = Nayib Bukele
| image            = Presidente Nayib Bukele (cropped).jpg
| image_upright    = 0.9
| alt              = A vertical upper-body portrait of Nayib Bukele smiling, facing the camera, and wearing a business suit and the presidential sash of El Salvador
| caption          = Official portrait, 2019
| order            = 81st<!-- Do not change without a source. -->
| office           = President of El Salvador
| term_start       = 1 June 2019{{efn|[[Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara]] served as acting president while Bukele's presidential powers and duties were suspended from 30 November 2023 to 1 June 2024 during Bukele's re-election campaign and subsequent presidential transition period.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/designada-del-presidente-ya-sanciona-decretos-como-encargada-del-despacho|title=Designada del Presidente ya Sanciona Decretos como Encargada del Despacho|trans-title=Presidential Designate Now Sanctions Decrees as In Charge with the Office|language=es|date=14 December 2023|access-date=14 December 2023|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|archive-date=14 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214230336/https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/designada-del-presidente-ya-sanciona-decretos-como-encargada-del-despacho|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
| term_end         = 
| vicepresident    = [[Félix Ulloa]]
| predecessor      = [[Salvador Sánchez Cerén]]
| successor        = 
| office1          = [[Mayor of San Salvador]]
| term_start1      = 1 May 2015
| term_end1        = 30 April 2018
| predecessor1     = [[Norman Quijano]]
| successor1       = [[Ernesto Muyshondt]]
| office2          = Mayor of [[Nuevo Cuscatlán]]
| term_start2      = 1 May 2012
| term_end2        = 30 April 2015
| predecessor2     = Álvaro Rodríguez
| successor2       = [[Michelle Sol]]
| birth_name       = Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez
| birth_date       = {{Birth date and age|1981|7|24|df=y}}
| birth_place      = [[San Salvador]], El Salvador
| party            = [[Nuevas Ideas]] (since 2017)
| otherparty       = {{Plainlist|
* {{abbrlink|GANA|Grand Alliance for National Unity}} (2018–2023)
* [[Democratic Change (El Salvador)|Democratic Change]] (2018)
* [[Independent politician|Independent]] (2017)
* {{abbrlink|FMLN|Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front}} (2012–2017)
}}
| spouse           = {{Marriage|[[Gabriela Rodríguez de Bukele|Gabriela Rodríguez]]|2014}}
| children         = 2
| father           = [[Armando Bukele Kattán]]
| education        = [[Central American University, San Salvador|Central American University]] (no degree)
| occupation       = Politician, businessman
| cabinet          = [[Cabinet of Nayib Bukele]]
| signature        = Nayib Bukele signature.svg
| signature_alt    = A graphic of Nayib Bukele's signature
}}
{{Nayib Bukele sidebar}}

'''Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez''' ({{IPA|es|naˈʝiβ buˈkele|lang}}; born 24 July 1981) is a Salvadoran politician and businessman who has been the 81st and current [[president of El Salvador]] since 1 June 2019.

In 1999, Bukele established an advertising company and worked at an advertising company owned by his father, [[Armando Bukele Kattán]]. Both companies advertised election campaigns for the [[Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front]] (FMLN) political party. Bukele entered politics in 2011. In 2012, he joined the FMLN and was elected mayor of [[Nuevo Cuscatlán]]. Bukele served until his 2015 election as [[Mayor of San Salvador]], where he served until 2018. In 2017, Bukele was ousted from the FMLN. He founded the [[Nuevas Ideas]] political party shortly afterward and pursued a presidential [[2019 Salvadoran presidential election|campaign in 2019]]. After the [[Supreme Electoral Court (El Salvador)|Supreme Electoral Court]] (TSE) refused to register his party, Bukele ran for president with the [[Grand Alliance for National Unity]] (GANA) and won with 53 percent of the vote.

In July 2019, Bukele implemented the [[Territorial Control Plan]] to reduce El Salvador's 2019 [[homicide rate]] of 38 per 100,000 people. Homicides fell by 50 percent during Bukele's first year in office; digital news outlet ''[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]'' and the [[United States Department of State]] accused Bukele's government of secretly negotiating with [[Gangs in El Salvador|gangs]] to reduce the homicide rate. After 87 people were killed by gangs over one weekend in March 2022, Bukele initiated a [[Salvadoran gang crackdown|nationwide crackdown on gangs]], resulting in the arrests of over 85,000 people with alleged gang affiliations by December 2024. El Salvador's homicide rate decreased to 1.9 homicides per 100,000 in 2024, one of the lowest in the [[Americas]]. Bukele passed a law in 2021 that made [[bitcoin]] [[Bitcoin in El Salvador|legal tender in El Salvador]] and promoted plans to build [[Bitcoin City]], but by 2025, El Salvador's bitcoin experiment had largely been unsuccessful. In June 2023, the [[Legislative Assembly of El Salvador|Legislative Assembly]] approved Bukele's proposals to reduce the number [[Municipalities of El Salvador|of municipalities]] from 262 to 44 and the number of seats in the legislature from 84 to 60. He ran for re-election in the [[2024 Salvadoran general election|2024 presidential election]] and won with 85 percent of the vote after the [[Supreme Court of Justice of El Salvador|Supreme Court of Justice]] reinterpreted [[Constitution of El Salvador|the constitution]]'s ban on consecutive re-election.

El Salvador has experienced [[democratic backsliding]] under Bukele, as he has dismantled democratic institutions, curtailed political and civil liberties, and attacked independent media and the political opposition. Bukele has been described as an authoritarian and autocrat. In February 2020, [[2020 Salvadoran political crisis|Bukele ordered 40 soldiers]] into the Legislative Assembly building to intimidate lawmakers into approving a {{US$|link=yes}}109&nbsp;million loan for the Territorial Control Plan. After Nuevas Ideas won a supermajority in the [[2021 Salvadoran legislative election|2021 legislative election]], Bukele's allies in the legislature voted to replace the [[Attorney General of El Salvador|attorney general]] and all five justices of the Supreme Court of Justice's Constitutional Chamber. Bukele has attacked journalists and news outlets on social media, drawing allegations of [[Censorship|press censorship]]. Before Bukele's presidency, he considered himself a member of the [[Far-left politics|radical left]], but Bukele has since not identified with any political ideology. Political analysts have described him as a [[Populism|populist]] and a [[Conservatism|conservative]]. Bukele has [[Opinion polling on the Nayib Bukele presidency|high job approval ratings]] in El Salvador and is popular throughout [[Latin America]].

== Early life ==

Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez was born on 24 July 1981 in [[San Salvador]], El Salvador.<ref name="Revista Elementos">{{cite web|url=https://revistaelementos.net/politica/como-los-bukele-se-hicieron-millonarios/|title=Cómo los Bukele se Hicieron Millonarios|trans-title=How the Bukeles Became Millionaires|language=es|date=19 November 2021|access-date=22 March 2024|work=Revista Elementos|first1=Luis|last1=Canizalez|first2=David Ernesto|last2=Pérez|archive-date=30 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240130213434/https://revistaelementos.net/politica/como-los-bukele-se-hicieron-millonarios/|url-status=live}}</ref> His father was [[Armando Bukele Kattán]], a businessman and industrial chemist,<ref name="TTOI">{{cite web|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/his-dad-was-an-imam-his-wife-has-jewish-roots-meet-el-salvadors-new-leader/|title=His Dad was an Imam, His Wife has Jewish Roots: Meet El Salvador's New Leader|language=en|date=7 February 2019|access-date=16 February 2020|work=[[The Times of Israel]]|first1=Raphael|last1=Ahren|archive-date=27 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627001613/https://www.timesofisrael.com/his-dad-was-an-imam-his-wife-has-jewish-roots-meet-el-salvadors-new-leader/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Oligarchs">{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-0_aEAAAQBAJ|title=The Oligarchs' Grip: Fusing Wealth and Power|language=en|date=2023|access-date=23 March 2024|publisher=[[De Gruyter|Walter de Gruyter GmbH]]|location=[[Berlin]] and [[Boston]]|first1=David|last1=Lingelbach|first2=Valentina|last2=Rodríguez Guerra|isbn=9783111027760|oclc=1410957043|archive-date=20 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120081001/https://books.google.com/books?id=-0_aEAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref> and his mother is Olga Marina Ortez. Bukele's father died in 2015.<ref name="CIDOB">{{cite web|url=https://www.cidob.org/biografias_lideres_politicos/america_central_y_caribe/el_salvador/nayib_bukele_ortez|title=Nayib Bukele Ortez|language=es|date=11 February 2019|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[Barcelona Centre for International Affairs]]|editor1-first=Roberto|editor1-last=Ortiz de Zárate|archive-date=16 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201216053636/https://www.cidob.org/biografias_lideres_politicos/america_central_y_caribe/el_salvador/nayib_bukele_ortez|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele was the couple's first child. He has three younger brothers, [[Karim Bukele|Karim]], [[Yusef Bukele|Yusef]], and [[Ibrajim Bukele|Ibrajim]], and has four paternal half sisters and two paternal half brothers.<ref name="Revista Elementos" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://elfaro.net/en/202006/el_salvador/24542/The-Bukele-Clan-that-Rules-with-Nayib.htm|title=The Bukele Clan that Rules with Nayib|language=en|date=17 June 2020|access-date=24 May 2023|work=[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]|first1=Jimmy|last1=Alvarado|first2=Gabriel|last2=Labrador|first3=Sergio|last3=Arauz|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230524102929/https://elfaro.net/en/202006/el_salvador/24542/The-Bukele-Clan-that-Rules-with-Nayib.htm|archive-date=24 May 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele's father converted from [[Christianity]] to [[Islam]] in the 1980s, became an [[imam]], and founded four [[mosque]]s in El Salvador.<ref name="Oligarchs" /> Bukele's mother is [[Catholic Church|Catholic]].<ref name="CIDOB" /> Bukele's paternal grandparents were [[Palestinian Christians]] who emigrated to El Salvador from [[Jerusalem]] and [[Bethlehem]] in 1921. His maternal grandfather was [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox]], and his maternal grandmother was Catholic.<ref name="TTOI" />

Bukele completed his secondary education at the Escuela Panamericana in 1999 at age 18.<ref name="Oligarchs" /><ref name="CIDOB" /> In his high school yearbook, he labeled himself as the "class terrorist" to troll others due to his father's occupation as an Imam.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/7015598/nayib-bukeles-iron-fist-el-salvador/|title=How Nayib Bukele's 'Iron Fist' Has Transformed El Salvador|language=en|date=29 August 2024|access-date=29 August 2024|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|first1=Vera|last1=Bergengruen|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> Bukele enrolled at [[Central American University, San Salvador|Central American University]] in San Salvador to study judicial science, aspiring to become a lawyer,<ref name="Oligarchs" /><ref name="CIDOB" /> but dropped out to work for the Nölck advertising agency, one of his father's businesses.<ref name="El Espanol">{{cite web|url=https://www.elespanol.com/mundo/20190104/alcalde-solidario-gobernar-salvador-uniendo-izquierda-derecha/365713914_0.html|title=El Alcalde Solidario que Quiere Gobernar El Salvador Uniendo Izquierda y Derecha|trans-title=The Solidary Mayor who Wants to Govern El Salvador Uniting the Left and Right|language=es|date=4 January 2019|access-date=7 June 2021|work=[[El Español]]|first1=Guillermo|last1=Rodríguez|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608034430/https://www.elespanol.com/mundo/20190104/alcalde-solidario-gobernar-salvador-uniendo-izquierda-derecha/365713914_0.html|archive-date=8 June 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Nölck campaigned for the [[Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front]] (FMLN), a left-wing Salvadoran [[List of political parties in El Salvador|political party]].<ref name="Bernal">{{cite web|url=http://www.contrapunto.com.sv/nacionales/politica/nayib-bukele-el-capitalista-mas-popular-de-la-izquierda-salvadorena|title=Nayib Bukele el Capitalista mas Popular de la Izquierda Salvadoreña|trans-title=Nayib Bukele the Most Popular Capitalist of the Salvadoran Left|language=es|date=27 February 2015|access-date=15 October 2018|work=Contra Punto|first1=Laura|last1=Bernal|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318042620/http://www.contrapunto.com.sv/nacionales/politica/nayib-bukele-el-capitalista-mas-popular-de-la-izquierda-salvadorena|archive-date=18 March 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1999, Bukele founded marketing company Obermet, also known as 4am Saatchi & Saatchi El Salvador, and was its president from 1999 to 2006 and from 2010 to 2012.<ref name="El Espanol" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/economia/ANEP-se-debe-analizar-caso-OBERMET-a-la-luz-de-LACAP-20160115-0048.html|title=ANEP: se Debe Analizar Caso OBERMET a la Luz de LACAP|trans-title=ANEP: The OBERMET Case Should Be Analyzed in Light of LACAP|language=es|date=15 January 2016|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]}}</ref> The company ran political advertising for the FMLN presidential campaigns of [[Schafik Hándal]] in [[2004 Salvadoran presidential election|2004]] and [[Mauricio Funes]] in [[2009 Salvadoran presidential election|2009]].<ref name="CIDOB" /><ref name="Roque Baldovinos">{{cite journal|last1=Roque Baldovinos|first1=Ricardo|title=Nayib Bukele: Populismo e Implosión Democrática en El Salvador|trans-title=Nayib Bukele: Populism and Democratic Implosion in El Salvador|language=es|url=https://uacm.edu.mx/portals/5/num46/10_D_Nayib_Bukele.pdf|access-date=7 November 2021|volume=18|issue=46|journal=Andamios|pages=231–253|date=May–August 2021|doi=10.29092/uacm.v18i46.844|doi-access=free|issn=1870-0063|oclc=9531063233|s2cid=237824511|archive-date=23 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923000828/https://uacm.edu.mx/portals/5/num46/10_D_Nayib_Bukele.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|239}} Bukele was president of Yamaha Motors El Salvador, a company that sells and distributes [[Yamaha Motor Company|Yamaha products]] in El Salvador, from 2009 to 2012.<ref name="EF1">{{Cite web|url=https://elfaro.net/es/201408/noticias/15839/El-FMLN-abre-la-puerta-grande-a-Nayib-Bukele.htm|title=El FMLN Abre la Puerta Grande a Nayib Bukele|trans-title=The FMLN Opens the Grand Door for Nayib Bukele|language=es|date=20 August 2014|access-date=26 July 2017|work=[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]|first1=Gabriel|last1=Labrador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180629155253/https://elfaro.net/es/201408/noticias/15839/El-FMLN-abre-la-puerta-grande-a-Nayib-Bukele.htm|archive-date=29 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> During Bukele's business career, he called himself a "businessman with a great future" ("{{lang|es|empresario con gran futuro}}").<ref name="Bernal" />

== Early political career ==

=== Mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán ===

In 2011, Bukele announced that he would enter politics as a member of the FMLN<ref name="CIDOB" /> to break out of "his comfort zone" ("{{lang|es|su zona de confort}}") as a businessman.<ref name="Bernal" /> Officially joining the party in 2012,<ref name="USDW">{{cite web|url=http://upsidedownworld.org/archives/el-salvador/el-salvadors-new-savior/|title=El Salvador's New Savior|language=en|date=20 November 2017|access-date=10 December 2017|work=Upside Down World|first1=Hilary|last1=Goodfriend|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108175807/http://upsidedownworld.org/archives/el-salvador/el-salvadors-new-savior/|archive-date=8 January 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> he campaigned for the mayoralty of [[Nuevo Cuscatlán]], a municipality in the department of [[La Libertad Department (El Salvador)|La Libertad]], part of the San Salvador metropolitan area. Bukele's campaign was supported by the [[Democratic Change (El Salvador)|Democratic Change]] party.<ref name="CIDOB" /> He [[2012 Salvadoran legislative and local elections|was elected]] mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán in March 2012 with 51.67 percent of the vote, defeating primary challenger Tomás Rodríguez of the [[Nationalist Republican Alliance]] (ARENA).<ref name="TSE 2012">{{cite web|url=http://www.tse.gob.sv/resultados2012/paginas/paginas/dat04/DMU041599.htm|title=Elecciones El Salvador 2012 – Concejos Municipales – La Libertad – Nuevo Cuscatlán|trans-title=El Salvador Elections 2012 – Municipal Councils – La Libertad – Nuevo Cuscatlán|language=es|date=2012|access-date=15 October 2018|work=[[Supreme Electoral Court (El Salvador)|Supreme Electoral Court]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170813191227/http://www.tse.gob.sv/resultados2012/paginas/paginas/dat04/DMU041599.htm|archive-date=13 August 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bukele took office on 1 May 2012<ref name="CIDOB" /> as the country's youngest mayor.<ref name="Bernal" />

Bukele created a scholarship program for youths in the municipality,<ref name="CIDOB" /> donating his $2,000 salary to fund the program.<ref name="EF1" /> Bukele launched Sphere PM, a project that launched a [[high-altitude balloon]] to an altitude of {{convert|100000|ft|m}} and took pictures of El Salvador, in August 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Globo-con-camara-captara-imagenes-de-ESA-por-la-noche-20140827-0014.html|title=Globo con Cámara Captará Imágenes de ESA por la Noche|trans-title=Balloon with Camera Captures Images of El Salvador at Night|language=es|date=27 August 2014|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323060158/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Globo-con-camara-captara-imagenes-de-ESA-por-la-noche-20140827-0014.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He stated that Sphere PM's goal was to promote education in science and technology to dissuade the municipality's youth from crime.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Nuevo-Cuscatlan-lanza-otro-proyecto-aeroespacial-20140828-0066.html|title=Nuevo Cuscatlán Lanza Otro Proyecto Aeroespacial|trans-title=Nuevo Cuscatlán Launches Another Aerospace Project|language=es|date=28 August 2014|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|archive-date=29 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129105842/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Nuevo-Cuscatlan-lanza-otro-proyecto-aeroespacial-20140828-0066.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele spoke at [[Headquarters of the United Nations|United Nations headquarters]] about projects he had undertaken as mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán as part of the November 2014 [[World Cities Day]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Nayib-Bukele-expone-en-la-ONU-sobre-desarrollo-de-Nuevo-Cuscatlan-20141101-0042.html|title=Nayib Bukele Expone en la ONU sobre Desarrollo de Nuevo Cuscatlán|trans-title=Nayib Bukeles Exposes the UN to the Development of Nuevo Cuscatlán|language=es|date=1 November 2014|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|archive-date=29 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129104854/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Nayib-Bukele-expone-en-la-ONU-sobre-desarrollo-de-Nuevo-Cuscatlan-20141101-0042.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2015, he inaugurated a $1.7 million boulevard connecting Nuevo Cuscatlán with [[Huizúcar]] and [[Antiguo Cuscatlán]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Nayib-Bukele-inaugura-boulevard-en-Nuevo-Cuscatlan-20150121-0002.html|title=Nayib Bukele Inaugura Boulevard en Nuevo Cuscatlán|trans-title=Nayib Bukele Inaugurates Boulevard in Nuevo Cuscatlán|language=es|date=21 January 2015|access-date=7 June 2021|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926104604/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Nayib-Bukele-inaugura-boulevard-en-Nuevo-Cuscatlan-20150121-0002.html|archive-date=26 September 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele did much of his mayoral work with funding from ALBA Petróleos, owned by the Venezuelan oil company [[PDVSA]].<ref name="Roque Baldovinos" />{{Rp|239}}

=== Mayor of San Salvador ===

In August 2014, Bukele announced that he would seek election as [[mayor of San Salvador]] in the [[2015 Salvadoran legislative election|2015 elections]].<ref name="CIDOB" /> His candidacy was confirmed by FMLN secretary-general [[Medardo González]] on 19 August 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.diariocolatino.com/nayib-bukele-es-el-candidato-del-fmln-por-san-salvador/|title=Nayib Bukele es el Candidato del FMLN por San Salvador|trans-title=Nayib Bukele is the FMLN's Candidate for San Salvador|language=es|date=19 August 2014|access-date=22 March 2024|work=Diario co Latino|first1=Mirna|last1=Jiménez|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323054257/https://www.diariocolatino.com/nayib-bukele-es-el-candidato-del-fmln-por-san-salvador/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele delegated administration of Nuevo Cuscatlán to council member [[Michelle Sol]] in February 2015 to focus on his campaign.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://diario1.com/politica/2015/02/bukele-entrega-alcaldia-de-nuevo-cuscatlan-a-concejal-michelle-sol/|title=Bukele Entrega Alcaldía de Nuevo Cuscatlán a Concejal Michelle Sol|trans-title=Bukele Gives Mayorship of Nuevo Cuscatlán to Councilwoman Michelle Sol|language=es|date=10 February 2015|access-date=22 March 2024|work=Diario1|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323052700/https://diario1.com/politica/2015/02/bukele-entrega-alcaldia-de-nuevo-cuscatlan-a-concejal-michelle-sol/|url-status=live}}</ref> During his campaign, that was supported by the {{ill|Salvadoran Progressive Party|es|Partido Salvadoreño Progresista}}, FMLN party leadership called Bukele the party's "crown jewel" ("{{lang|es|joya de la corona}}"). Bukele's campaign used catchphrases such as "we have to change history" ("{{lang|es|tenemos que cambiar la historia}}") and "together we will go forward" ("{{lang|es|juntos saldremos adelante}}") to rally support from young voters.<ref name="Bernal" />

His primary opponent was Edwin Zamora, a businessman and [[Legislative Assembly of El Salvador|Legislative Assembly]] deputy from ARENA. Bukele led Zamora in opinion polls before the election.<ref name="Bernal" /> He defeated Zamora with 50.38 percent of the vote on 1 March 2015, and took office on 1 May.<ref name="CIDOB" /> Bukele appointed a cousin, Hassan, and his half-brother Yamil to administrative positions on the San Salvador municipal council. The appointments were criticized by ARENA and FMLN politicians.<ref name="roads">{{cite web|url=https://historico.elsalvador.com/historico/151445/arena-dice-que-bukele-nombra-a-parientes-en-la-alcaldia-capitalina.html|title=ARENA Dice que Bukele Nombra a Parientes en la Alcaldía Capitalina|trans-title=ARENA Says that Bukele Named Family Members in the Capital Municipality|language=es|date=1 May 2015|access-date=23 March 2024|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Juan José|last1=Morales|archive-date=17 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220517150340/https://historico.elsalvador.com/historico/151445/arena-dice-que-bukele-nombra-a-parientes-en-la-alcaldia-capitalina.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Debut de la Compañia Infantil de Teatro La Colmenita de El Salvador. (24563050202).jpg|thumb|right|alt=Nayib Bukele shaking hands with children dressed in bee costumes|Bukele at the opening of the La Colmenita children's theater, January 2016]]

[[File:Carmena insta al municipalismo iberoamericano a unirse para construir ciudades de paz y prosperidad 01.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A photograph of the mayors of several Ibero-American capital cities|At the 18th summit of the [[Union of Ibero-American Capital Cities]], April 2018]]

As mayor, Bukele began a "reordering" ("{{lang|es|reordenamiento}}") to revitalize the [[Historic Downtown San Salvador|city's historic downtown area]] and combat crime.<ref name="reordering">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/18/nayib-bukele-san-salvador-mayor-save-worlds-most-violent-city|title=Can a Millennial Mayor Save One of the World's Most Violent Cities?|language=en|date=18 October 2016|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[The Guardian]]|first1=Lauren|last1=Markham|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323001946/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/oct/18/nayib-bukele-san-salvador-mayor-save-worlds-most-violent-city|url-status=live}}</ref> On the day Bukele took office, he reverted the names of two streets in San Salvador ({{lang|es|Calle Mayor [[Roberto D'Aubuisson]]|italic=no}} and {{lang|es|Boulevard Coronel [[José Arturo Castellanos]]|italic=no}}) to {{lang|es|Calle San Antonio Abad|italic=no}} and {{lang|es|Boulevard Venezuela|italic=no}} respectively. Both names had been changed by Bukele's predecessor, [[Norman Quijano]]. Zamora, who had become a member of San Salvador's municipal council, stated that the names were reverted due to flaws in the initial renaming process.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Devuelven-nombre-a-bulevares-20150502-0036.html|title=Devuelven Nombre a Bulevares|trans-title=The Return the Names to Boulevards|language=es|date=2 May 2015|access-date=7 June 2017|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926105156/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Devuelven-nombre-a-bulevares-20150502-0036.html|archive-date=26 September 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> He added that another street would be named in honor of Castellanos, who provided fake Salvadoran passports to 40,000 Central European Jews to help them escape [[the Holocaust]].<ref name="roads" /> Bukele renamed {{lang|es|89 Avenida Norte|italic=no}} in honor of Castellanos in June 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.contrapunto.com.sv/bukele-le-da-nombre-a-calle-en-san-salvador/|title=Bukele le da Nombre a Calle en San Salvador|trans-title=Bukele Gives a Name to a Street in San Salvador|language=es|date=30 June 2016|access-date=23 March 2024|work=Contra Punto|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323220418/https://www.contrapunto.com.sv/bukele-le-da-nombre-a-calle-en-san-salvador/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In December 2016, Bukele inaugurated the Cuscatlán Market to encourage [[Hawker (trade)|street vendors]] to relocate their businesses.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.diariocolatino.com/alcaldia-inaugura-hoy-mercado-cuscatlan-primero-la-administracion-bukele/|title=Alcaldía Inaugura Hoy Mercado Cuscatlán, el Primero de la Administración Bukele|trans-title=The Municipality Inaugurates the Cuscatlán Market Today, the First of Bukele's Administration|language=es|date=16 December 2016|access-date=22 March 2024|work=Diario co Latino|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323001946/https://www.diariocolatino.com/alcaldia-inaugura-hoy-mercado-cuscatlan-primero-la-administracion-bukele/|url-status=live}}</ref> Many vendors refused to move, despite the market.<ref name="reordering" /> Some accused him of negotiating with gangs to organize its construction, since it was located in gang-controlled territory.<ref name="CIDOB" /> In January 2016, Bukele began a "San Salvador 100% Illuminated" campaign to "have a light on every corner of San Salvador" to combat crime in the city. The campaign was completed by May 2016.<ref name="reordering" /> He also installed video-surveillance cameras in parts of San Salvador that were severely affected by crime.<ref name="CIDOB" /> Bukele inaugurated the renovated downtown [[Plaza Gerardo Barrios|Gerardo Barrios Plaza]] in October 2017,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario1.com/nacionales/2017/10/alcalde-bukele-inaugura-la-remodelada-plaza-gerardo-barrios/|title=Alcalde Bukele Inaugura la Remodelada Plaza Gerardo Barrios|trans-title=Mayor Bukele Inaugurates the Remodeled Gerardo Barrios Plaza|language=es|date=26 October 2017|access-date=23 March 2024|work=Diario1|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323214546/https://diario1.com/nacionales/2017/10/alcalde-bukele-inaugura-la-remodelada-plaza-gerardo-barrios/|url-status=live}}</ref> and the new downtown Lineal Plaza in April 2018.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ultimahora.sv/el-corazon-de-san-salvador-cuenta-con-un-nuevo-espacio-de-convivencia-la-plaza-lineal/|title=El Corazón de San Salvador Cuenta con un Nuevo Espacio de Convivencia: La Plaza Lineal|trans-title=The Heart of San Salvador Has a New Coexistence Space: La Plaza Lineal|language=es|date=5 April 2018|access-date=23 March 2024|work=Última Hora|archive-date=15 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215224833/https://ultimahora.sv/el-corazon-de-san-salvador-cuenta-con-un-nuevo-espacio-de-convivencia-la-plaza-lineal/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Bukele created a scholarship program, known as the Dalton Project and funded by his salary,<ref name="El Espanol" /> for youth in San Salvador to prevent them from joining gangs.<ref name="CIDOB" /> Bukele also created the My New School project to modernize San Salvador's primary schools.<ref name="CIDOB" /> In May 2015, he signed an agreement with [[Panama City]] mayor [[José Isabel Blandón Figueroa|José Blandón]] to establish a [[sister city]] relationship between San Salvador and Panama City.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Alcaldia-de-Panama-firma-hermanamiento-con-San-Salvador-20150514-0009.html|title=Alcaldía de Panamá Firma Hermanamiento con San Salvador|trans-title=Mayorship of Panama City Signs Sister City Agreement with San Salvador|language=es|date=14 May 2015|access-date=23 March 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|archive-date=29 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129103817/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Alcaldia-de-Panama-firma-hermanamiento-con-San-Salvador-20150514-0009.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In November 2015, Bukele signed an agreement with the Spanish [[Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional|National League of Professional Football]] to promote sports for San Salvador's youth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/deportes/La-Liga-echa-la-mano-20151103-0155.html|title=La Liga Echa la Mano|trans-title=La Liga Lends a Hand|language=es|date=3 November 2015|access-date=23 March 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|archive-date=29 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220129111919/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/deportes/La-Liga-echa-la-mano-20151103-0155.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2016, Bukele visited [[Washington, D.C.]] and met with Mayor [[Muriel Bowser]] to discuss the implementation of urban-development projects. Bukele received the [[keys to the city]] of [[Gaithersburg, Maryland]], and 11 September was designated the "Day of Mayor Nayib Bukele" ("{{lang|es|Día del alcalde Nayib Bukele|italic=no}}").<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario1.com/politica/2016/09/alcaldes-de-san-salvador-y-washington-dc-se-reunen-para-abordar-desarrollo-ciudades/|title=Alcaldes de San Salvador y Washington DC se Reúnen para Abordar Desarrollo Ciudades|trans-title=Mayors of San Salvador and Washington, D.C. Meet to Discuss City Development|language=es|date=16 September 2016|access-date=23 March 2024|work=Diario1|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323231302/https://diario1.com/politica/2016/09/alcaldes-de-san-salvador-y-washington-dc-se-reunen-para-abordar-desarrollo-ciudades/|url-status=live}}</ref> He visited [[Taipei]] in February 2017 and met with Taiwanese president [[Tsai Ing-wen]] to "enhance" the sister-city relationship between San Salvador and Taipei.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.president.gov.tw/NEWS/5101|title=President Tsai Meets Mayor Nayib Bukele of San Salvador|language=en|date=23 February 2017|access-date=9 February 2019|work=[[Taiwanese Presidential Office]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190209132443/https://english.president.gov.tw/NEWS/5101|archive-date=9 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2018, Bukele attended the 32nd International Mayors Conference in Jerusalem<ref name="TTOI" /> and prayed at the [[Western Wall]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.israelhayom.com/2019/02/05/salvadorians-elect-friend-of-israel-as-their-next-president/|title=Salvadorans Elect Friend of Israel as Their Next President|language=en|date=5 February 2019|access-date=24 February 2019|work=[[Israel Hayom]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190224231348/http://www.israelhayom.com/2019/02/05/salvadorians-elect-friend-of-israel-as-their-next-president/|archive-date=24 February 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Troll Center case ===

In January 2016, the ''[[El Diario de Hoy]]'' and ''[[La Prensa Gráfica]]'' newspapers reported that the Búnker digital-programming company had created [[mirror site]]s of the newspapers in June 2015 and posted [[Fake news|false information]] in an attempt to damage their reputations; the newspapers described the incident as a [[cyberattack]]. In a subsequent investigation by the office of the attorney general (FGR), Bukele allegedly instructed a [[Twitter]] user to create the mirror sites. Bukele denied involvement in the creation of the mirror sites.<ref name="TCC">{{cite web|url=https://www.contrapunto.com.sv/caso-troll-center-forma-de-torcer-justicia-y-presion-politica/|title=Caso "Troll Center"™: Forma de Torcer Justicia y Presión Política|trans-title=The "Troll Center"™ Case: A Way of Twisting Justice and Political Pressure|language=es|date=22 October 2018|access-date=23 March 2024|work=Contra Punto|archive-date=17 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217003515/https://www.contrapunto.com.sv/caso-troll-center-forma-de-torcer-justicia-y-presion-politica/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/SIP-denuncia-impunidad-de-los-ciberataques-en-el-pais-20180414-0072.html|title=SIP Denuncia Impunidad de los Ciberataques en el País|trans-title=SIP Denounces Impunity of the Cyberattacks in the Country|language=es|date=15 April 2018|access-date=23 March 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|archive-date=18 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718121926/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/SIP-denuncia-impunidad-de-los-ciberataques-en-el-pais-20180414-0072.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The incident became known as the "Troll Center" case.<ref name="TCC" /> Five people were charged in relation to the case, but the charges were dropped in December 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/FGR-tribunal-no-valoro-106-pruebas-en-caso-troll-center-20180410-0124.html|title=FGR: Tribunal no Valoró 106 Pruebas en Caso "Troll Center"|trans-title=FGR: Court Did Not Evaluate 106 Pieces of Evidence in the "Troll Center" Case|language=es|date=11 April 2018|access-date=23 March 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Gabriela|last1=Cáceres|archive-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401165906/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/FGR-tribunal-no-valoro-106-pruebas-en-caso-troll-center-20180410-0124.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 4 July 2017, Bukele sued ''La Prensa Gráfica'' for $6 million, alleging that the newspaper had defamed and slandered him in its reporting of the cyberattacks by "falsely" ("{{lang|es|falsamente}}") connecting him to the Troll Center case and "damag[ing] [Bukele's] image" ("{{lang|es|dañó la imagen del señor alcalde}}"). Later that month, a court dismissed Bukele's lawsuit and three other courts rejected his appeals.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Bukele-acumula-derrotas-judiciales-20170926-0130.html|title=Bukele Acumula Derrotas Judiciales|trans-title=Bukele Accumulates Judicial Defeats|language=es|date=26 September 2017|access-date=23 March 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Ricardo|last1=Flores|first2=Gabriela|last2=Cáceres|archive-date=27 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170927100305/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Bukele-acumula-derrotas-judiciales-20170926-0130.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2018, the FGR stated that it had reviewed information supposedly linking Bukele's cell phone to the cyberattacks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Fiscalia-estudia-nexo-de-celular-de-Bukele-con-ataque-cibernetico-20181210-0367.html|title=Fiscalía Estudia Nexo de Celular de Bukele con Ataque Cibernético|trans-title=Attorney General Studies Bukele's Cell Phone Link to Cyberattack|language=es|date=11 December 2018|access-date=23 March 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Ricardo|last1=Flores|archive-date=15 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015023338/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Fiscalia-estudia-nexo-de-celular-de-Bukele-con-ataque-cibernetico-20181210-0367.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Expulsion from the FMLN ===

[[File:Reunión del presidente Sánchez Cerén con el alcalde de San Salvador.jpg|thumb|alt=A color photograph of Salvador Sánchez Cerén and Nayib Bukele shaking hands|Then-mayor Bukele with President [[Salvador Sánchez Cerén]] of the FMLN, May 2015]]

Bukele's relationship with the FMLN began to deteriorate after he became mayor of San Salvador.<ref name="CNN FMLN">{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/09/americas/el-salvador-president-bukele-profile-intl/index.html|title=The Strange Political Path of Nayib Bukele, El Salvador's New President|language=en|date=10 February 2019|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[CNN]]|first1=Merlin|last1=Delcid|first2=Jack|last2=Guy|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323005055/https://www.cnn.com/2019/02/09/americas/el-salvador-president-bukele-profile-intl/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He clashed with other party members on Twitter,<ref name="CIDOB" /> and frequently resisted FMLN party leadership.<ref name="Roque Baldovinos" />{{Rp|239}} Bukele was a strong critic of [[Salvador Sánchez Cerén]], the FMLN [[president of El Salvador]] who was elected in 2014.<ref name="CNN FMLN" /> He threatened to leave the party in 2015 if the FMLN-led government reappointed Luis Martínez as the country's [[Attorney General of El Salvador|attorney general]], describing Martínez as "a gangster, very corrupt, [and] the worst of the worst". The FMLN relented and replaced Martínez, and Bukele later admitted that his threat to leave the party "was a bluff".<ref name="reordering" />

In September 2017, San Salvador FMLN member Xóchitl Marchelli alleged that Bukele had thrown an apple at her, calling her a "damn traitor" ("{{lang|es|maldita traidora}}") and a "witch" ("{{lang|es|bruja}}").<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Me-tiro-una-manzana-y-si-no-me-aparto-me-cae-en-el-rostro-Xotchil-Marchelli-20170915-0026.html|title=Me Tiró una Manzana y Si No Me Aparto me Cae en el Rostro: Xóchitl Marchelli|trans-title=He Threw an Apple at Me and if I Did Not Move it Would Have Hit my Face: Xóchitl Marchelli|language=es|date=15 September 2017|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Cristian|last1=Meléndez|archive-date=16 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116070940/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Me-tiro-una-manzana-y-si-no-me-aparto-me-cae-en-el-rostro-Xotchil-Marchelli-20170915-0026.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele did not attend an FMLN ethics tribunal on 7 October 2017, saying that the tribunal was biased in favor of Marchelli.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elfaro.net/es/201710/el_salvador/21000/Medardo-González-“No-podemos-creer-en-alguien-que-está-con-nosotros-sólo-por-interés-electorero”.htm|title=Medardo González: "No Podemos Creer en Alguien que Está con Nosotros Sólo por Interés Electorero"|trans-title=Medardo González: "We Cannot Believe Someone who Is With Us Only for Electoral Interests"|language=es|date=7 October 2017|access-date=28 July 2020|work=[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Rauda Zablah|first2=Sergio|last2=Arauz|first3=Roberto|last3=Valencia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728151746/https://elfaro.net/es/201710/el_salvador/21000/Medardo-Gonz%C3%A1lez-%E2%80%9CNo-podemos-creer-en-alguien-que-est%C3%A1-con-nosotros-s%C3%B3lo-por-inter%C3%A9s-electorero%E2%80%9D.htm|archive-date=28 July 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> On 10 October 2017, he was expelled from the party after the tribunal determined that he had engaged in "defamatory acts" ("{{lang|es|actos difamatorios}}") against the party, showed "disrespect" ("{{lang|es|irrespeto}}") for women's rights and the party's statutes, and made "disqualifying comments" ("{{lang|es|comentarios descalificadores}}") to party members.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Nayib-Bukele-expulsado-del-FMLN-20171010-0075.html|title=Nayib Bukele, Expulsado del FMLN por Estas Razones|trans-title=Nayib Bukele, Expelled from the FMLN for These Reasons|language=en|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|date=10 October 2017|access-date=11 October 2017|first1=Jonathan|last1=Laguan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402043244/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Nayib-Bukele-expulsado-del-FMLN-20171010-0075.html|archive-date=2 April 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> 

Marchelli sued Bukele through the Specialized Investigative Court, but sent a letter to the court in October 2018 saying that she would no longer pursue the matter for health reasons.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/Nacionales/defensa-de-bukele-victima-desiste-de-seguir-juicio-por-expresiones-de-violencia|title=Defensa de Bukele: Víctima Desiste de Seguir Juicio por Expresiones de Violencia|trans-title=Bukele's Defense: Victim Desists from Pursuing Trial Due to Expressions of Violence|language=es|date=25 October 2018|access-date=23 March 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Juan Carlos|last1=Vásquez|archive-date=14 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214073133/https://diario.elmundo.sv/Nacionales/defensa-de-bukele-victima-desiste-de-seguir-juicio-por-expresiones-de-violencia|url-status=live}}</ref> Despite Marchelli's withdrawal, the FGR proceeded with the case. On 29 March 2019, the Specialized Sentencing Court acquitted Bukele.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elmundo.sv/bukele-absuelto-por-expresiones-de-violencia-a-mujer/|title=Bukele Absuelto por Expresiones de Violencia a Mujer|trans-title=Bukele Absolved for Expressions of Violence Against a Woman|language=es|date=29 March 2019|access-date=23 March 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Juan Carlos|last1=Vásquez|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190330130811/https://elmundo.sv/bukele-absuelto-por-expresiones-de-violencia-a-mujer/|archive-date=30 March 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In the [[2018 Salvadoran legislative election|2018 legislative and municipal elections]], where Bukele was favored to win re-election before his expulsion,<ref name="USDW" /> the FMLN had its worst performance [[1994 Salvadoran general election|since 1994]], the party's first election. It lost six seats in the Legislative Assembly, and 16 municipalities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nacla.org/news/2018/03/21/el-salvador%E2%80%99s-left-crisis|title=El Salvador's Left in Crisis|language=en|date=22 March 2018|access-date=23 March 2024|work=[[North American Congress on Latin America]]|first1=Hilary|last1=Goodfriend|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323233141/https://nacla.org/news/2018/03/21/el-salvador%E2%80%99s-left-crisis|url-status=live}}</ref> During the election, Bukele called on his supporters nationwide to [[Spoilt vote|spoil their vote]] or stay home on election day rather than support the FMLN.<ref>{{cite book|chapter=The Downstream Consequences of Invalid Vote Campaigns|language=en|date=2024|publisher=[[University of Michigan Press]]|title=None of the Above: Protest Voting in Latin American Democracies|first1=Mollie J.|last1=Cohen|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EonsEAAAQBAJ|access-date=4 November 2024|jstor=10.3998/mpub.12738341.12|pages=137–151|doi=10.3998/mpub.12738341|oclc=1398507112|isbn=9780472904280}}</ref>{{Rp|137}} In February 2019, FMLN presidential communications secretary Roberto Lorenzana stated that Bukele's expulsion was a mistake that cost the party votes.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ultimahora.sv/a-los-dos-anos-fmln-reconocee-que-fue-un-error-expulsar-a-bukele/|title=Dos Años Después el FMLN Reconoce que fue un Error Expulsar a Nayib Bukele|trans-title=Two Years Later the FMLN Recognizes that Expelling Nayib Bukele was an Error|language=es|date=12 February 2019|access-date=23 March 2024|work=Última Hora|archive-date=14 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230214001016/https://ultimahora.sv/a-los-dos-anos-fmln-reconocee-que-fue-un-error-expulsar-a-bukele/|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2025, Bukele remarked that he was "mistaken" ("{{lang|es|equivocado}}") for having previously voted for the FMLN.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/bukele-critica-al-fmln-yo-vote-por-ellos-equivocado-tambien-porque-uno-se-puede-equivocar|title=Bukele Critica al FMLN: "Yo Voté por Ellos, Equivocado También, Porque Uno se Puede Equivocar"|trans-title=Bukele Criticizes the FMLN: "I Voted for Them, Mistakenly Too, Because One Can Be Mistaken"|language=es|date=26 February 2025|access-date=4 March 2025|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Yolanda|last1=Magaña}}</ref>

=== 2019 presidential election ===

{{Further|2019 Salvadoran presidential election}}

Bukele's popularity as mayor of San Salvador led some journalists to believe that he would run for president in [[2019 Salvadoran presidential election|2019]],<ref name="Roque Baldovinos" />{{Rp|239}} but he denied that he would.<ref name="reordering" /> He eventually expressed interest in running for president with the FMLN, but the party did not consider him as its [[Vice President of El Salvador|vice-presidential]] nominee. He wrote on social media that the FMLN had purged him,<ref name="Roque Baldovinos" />{{Rp|240–241}} and portrayed himself as an [[independent politician]] who rejected the country's political system.<ref name="USDW" />

On 15 October 2017, Bukele announced his intention to run for president in 2019 and form a new political party.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.contrapunto.com.sv/bukele-buscara-la-presidencia-en-2019/|title=Bukele Buscará la Presidencia en 2019|trans-title=Bukele Will Seek the Presidency in 2019|language=es|date=16 October 2017|access-date=22 March 2024|work=Contra Punto|archive-date=20 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520000048/https://www.contrapunto.com.sv/bukele-buscara-la-presidencia-en-2019/|url-status=live}}</ref> He announced the establishment of the [[Nuevas Ideas]] party on 25 October 2017 on social media, saying that Nuevas Ideas would seek to remove ARENA and the FMLN from power.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.contrapunto.com.sv/politica/sociedadcivil/bukele-lanza-el-movimiento-nuevas-ideas-/5031|title=Bukele Lanza el Movimiento "Nuevas Ideas"|trans-title=Bukele Begins the "Nuevas Ideas" Movement|language=es|date=25 October 2017|access-date=22 March 2024|work=Contra Punto|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171118165848/https://www.contrapunto.com.sv/politica/sociedadcivil/bukele-lanza-el-movimiento-nuevas-ideas-/5031|archive-date=18 November 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref> During his presidential campaign, Bukele and a network of [[YouTuber]]s, bloggers, and [[Troll (slang)|internet trolls]] attempted to discredit ARENA and the FMLN.<ref name="Roque Baldovinos" />{{Rp|242}} Bukele tried to associate the two parties with the governments of previous presidents that were marred by corruption, using slogans such as "There's enough money when nobody steals" and "Return what was stolen".<ref name="CNN FMLN" /> His campaign promises included the creation of an international commission to combat corruption, the development of a trans-national railroad and a new airport, job opportunities for Salvadorans, and reduced crime.<ref name="MTC1">{{cite web|url=https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/el-salvador-meet-the-candidates-in-latin-americas-first-election-of-2019/|title=El Salvador: Meet the Candidates in Latin America's First Election of 2019|language=es|date=29 January 2019|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[Americas Quarterly]]|first1=Emilie|last1=Sweigart|archive-date=3 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190203130045/https://www.americasquarterly.org/content/el-salvador-meet-candidates-latin-americas-first-election-2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="TG election">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/04/el-salvador-anti-corruption-candidate-nayib-bukele-wins-presidential-election|title=El Salvador: Anti-Corruption Candidate Nayib Bukele Wins Presidential Election|language=en|date=3 February 2019|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[The Guardian]]|archive-date=28 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210328083219/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/feb/04/el-salvador-anti-corruption-candidate-nayib-bukele-wins-presidential-election|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Nayib Bukele y Gabriela de Bukele en 2019.jpg|thumb|alt=Nayib Bukele and Gabriela Rodríguez posing for press photographers at a campaign rally|Bukele on election day, February 2019]]

For Bukele to run for president with Nuevas Ideas, he had to get the party registered with the [[Supreme Electoral Court (El Salvador)|Supreme Electoral Court]] (TSE).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.contrapunto.com.sv/lectores-ven-viable-un-nuevo-partido-liderado-por-bukele/|title=Lectores Ven Viable un Nuevo Partido Liderado por Bukele|trans-title=Lectors See a New Party Led by Bukele as Viable|language=es|date=19 October 2017|access-date=22 March 2024|work=Contra Punta|archive-date=19 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519233403/https://www.contrapunto.com.sv/lectores-ven-viable-un-nuevo-partido-liderado-por-bukele/|url-status=live}}</ref> Although Nuevas Ideas had enough signatures to register,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ultimahora.sv/nuevas-ideas-presenta-ahora-200000-firmas-al-tse/|title=Nuevas Ideas Presenta Ahora 200,000 Firmas al TSE|trans-title=Nuevas Ideas Presidents 200,000 Signatures to the TSE Today|language=es|date=8 May 2018|access-date=22 March 2024|work=Última Hora|archive-date=14 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221114154434/https://ultimahora.sv/nuevas-ideas-presenta-ahora-200000-firmas-al-tse/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele believed that the TSE would not register the party before the 29 July 2018 presidential nomination deadline.<ref name="CIDOB" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elpais.cr/2018/08/01/exalcalde-salvadoreno-de-fmln-busca-presidencia-con-partido-de-ultraderecha/|title=Exalcalde Salvadoreño de FMLN Busca Presidencia con Partido de Ultraderecha|trans-title=Salvadoran Ex-Mayor of the FMLN Seeks Presidency with Far-Right Party|language=es|date=1 August 2018|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Sara|last1=Acosta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520012605/https://www.elpais.cr/2018/08/01/exalcalde-salvadoreno-de-fmln-busca-presidencia-con-partido-de-ultraderecha/|archive-date=20 May 2023|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Bukele registered as a member of [[Democratic Change (El Salvador)|Democratic Change]] and sought the party's presidential nomination before the deadline, but the TSE canceled the party's registration four days before the deadline because Democratic Change failed to receive over 50,000 votes during the 2015 legislative elections. On 29 July 2018, Bukele registered with the [[Right-wing politics|right-wing]] [[Grand Alliance for National Unity]] (GANA) and received the party's presidential nomination. He selected [[Félix Ulloa]], a lawyer, as his vice-presidential candidate.<ref name="CIDOB" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elpais.cr/2018/08/01/exalcalde-salvadoreno-de-fmln-busca-presidencia-con-partido-de-ultraderecha/|title=Exalcalde Salvadoreño de FMLN Busca Presidencia con Partido de Ultraderecha|trans-title=Salvadoran Ex-Mayor of the FMLN Seeks Presidency with Far-Right Party|language=es|date=1 August 2018|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Sara|last1=Acosta|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230520012605/https://www.elpais.cr/2018/08/01/exalcalde-salvadoreno-de-fmln-busca-presidencia-con-partido-de-ultraderecha/|archive-date=20 May 2023|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Bukele used social media such as [[Facebook]], [[Instagram]], and Twitter extensively throughout his campaign to communicate with his supporters.<ref name="AQ1">{{cite web|url=https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/will-el-salvadors-nayib-bukele-be-the-next-social-media-president/|title=Will El Salvador's Nayib Bukele Be the Next Social Media President?|language=en|date=8 November 2018|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[Americas Quarterly]]|first1=Ximena|last1=Enríquez|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323042158/https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/will-el-salvadors-nayib-bukele-be-the-next-social-media-president/|url-status=live}}</ref> He did not attend either of the two presidential debates, in December 2018 and January 2019, despite saying that he would attend, claiming that the debate rules were not explained to him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historico.elsalvador.com/historico/549666/en-directo-debate-presidencial-en-la-universidad-de-el-salvador.html|title=Candidatos a la Presidencia Debatieron en la Universidad de El Salvador|trans-title=Presidential Candidates Debated in the University of El Salvador|language=es|date=16 December 2018|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=V.|last1=Jurado|first2=Ricardo|last2=Avelar|archive-date=13 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210513000155/https://historico.elsalvador.com/historico/549666/en-directo-debate-presidencial-en-la-universidad-de-el-salvador.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://historico.elsalvador.com/historico/557667/en-vivo-tres-candidatos-presidenciales-plantean-sus-propuestas-en-el-debate-de-asder.html|title=Tres Candidatos Presidenciales Plantearon Sus Propuestas en el Debate de ASDER|trans-title=Three Presidential Candidates Raised Their Proposals in the ASDER Debate|language=es|date=13 January 2019|access-date=22 March 2024|first1=R.|last1=Tejada|first2=Ricardo|last2=Avelar|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|archive-date=2 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402213600/https://historico.elsalvador.com/historico/557667/en-vivo-tres-candidatos-presidenciales-plantean-sus-propuestas-en-el-debate-de-asder.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele was the election's front-runner,<ref name="AQ1" /> leading virtually every poll by a substantial margin. His three opponents were ARENA's{{efn|name="Calleja coalition"|Carlos Calleja was supported by a coalition of the [[Nationalist Republican Alliance]] (ARENA), the [[National Coalition Party (El Salvador)|National Coalition Party]] (PCN), the [[Christian Democratic Party (El Salvador)|Christian Democratic Party]] (PDC), and [[Salvadoran Democracy]] that was known as the Alliance for a New Country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://elmundo.sv/calleja-y-partidos-politicos-firman-alianza-electoral/|title=Calleja y Partidos Políticos Firman Alianza Electoral|trans-title=Calleja and Political Parties Sign Electoral Alliance|language=es|date=26 July 2018|access-date=10 August 2023|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726202157/http://elmundo.sv/calleja-y-partidos-politicos-firman-alianza-electoral/|archive-date=26 July 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>}} [[Carlos Calleja]], a businessman who owned the [[Supermercados Super Selectos|Super Selectos]] supermarket chain; the FMLN's former [[List of ministers of foreign affairs of El Salvador|minister of foreign affairs]] [[Hugo Martínez (politician)|Hugo Martínez]], and [[Vamos (El Salvador)|Vamos]]' Josué Alvarado, a businessman.<ref name="MTC1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.as-coa.org/articles/poll-tracker-el-salvadors-2019-presidential-election|title=Poll Tracker: El Salvador's 2019 Presidential Election|language=en|date=24 January 2019|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[Americas Society|AS/COA]]|first1=Holly K.|last1=Sonneland|archive-date=26 January 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190126021120/https://www.as-coa.org/articles/poll-tracker-el-salvadors-2019-presidential-election|url-status=live}}</ref> On election day, 3 February 2019, Bukele defeated Calleja, Martínez, and Alvarado with 53.1 percent of the vote. He was the first presidential candidate to be elected since [[José Napoleón Duarte]] (1984–1989) who was not a member of ARENA or the FMLN.<ref name="AQ1" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/03/world/americas/salvador-bukele-election.html|title=Nayib Bukele, an Outsider Candidate, Claims Victory in El Salvador Election|language=en|date=3 February 2019|access-date=13 December 2022|work=[[The New York Times]]|first1=Gene|last1=Palumbo|first2=Elisabeth|last2=Malkin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221011050111/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/03/world/americas/salvador-bukele-election.html|archive-date=11 October 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Presidency ==

=== Inaugurations ===

{{Multiple image
| total_width = 220px
| align       = right
| direction   = vertical
| image1      = Discurso de Bukele en 2019.jpg
| alt1        = Nayib Bukele standing at a podium, wearing the Salvadoran presidential sash, and speaking to a crowd
| image2      = INVESTIDURA PRESIDENCIAL DE NAYIB BUKELE (53761248912).jpg
| alt2        = Nayib Bukele and Gabriela Rodríguez de Bukele standing at a balcony and waving to a crowd
| footer      = Bukele at his first ''(top)'' and second inaugurations
}}

Bukele's first presidential inauguration was held on 1 June 2019.<ref name="Roque Baldovinos" />{{Rp|244}} He became the 81st president of El Salvador as well as the country's youngest president at the age of 37.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP7Bwykvd0I|title=Las Singularidades de los Presidentes de El Salvador|trans-title=The Singularities of the Presidents of El Salvador|language=es|date=7 June 2019|access-date=25 July 2024|publisher=[[Canal 12 (Salvadoran TV channel)|Channel 12]]|website=[[YouTube]]}}</ref> Bukele held the inauguration ceremony at the [[National Palace (El Salvador)|National Palace]] due to its location in Gerardo Barrios Plaza (renovated by Bukele as mayor of San Salvador) instead of in the Blue Room (meeting room) of the Legislative Assembly in an effort to portray himself as focusing his presidency on the people. Bukele's supporters booed and jeered at the Legislative Assembly deputies as they were introduced.<ref name="Roque Baldovinos" />{{Rp|244}} He announced a sixteen-person [[Cabinet of Nayib Bukele|cabinet]] composed of eight men and eight women.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/estos-son-los-funcionarios-que-integraran-el-gabinete-de-nayib-bukele/608701/2019/|title=Estos son los Funcionarios que Integrarán el Gabinete de Nayib Bukele|trans-title=These Will be the Ministers Who Will Compose Nayib Bukele's Cabinet|language=es|date=1 June 2019|access-date=4 September 2020|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Liseth|last1=Alas|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190921095701/https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/estos-son-los-funcionarios-que-integraran-el-gabinete-de-nayib-bukele/608701/2019/|archive-date=21 September 2019|url-status=live}}</ref>

Bukele's second presidential inauguration was held on 1 June 2024, again at the National Palace.<ref name="inaug2">{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/bukele-anuncia-medicina-amarga-para-resolver-economia/1146268/2024/|title=Nayib Bukele Asume Segundo Periodo y Anuncia "Medicina Amarga" para Resolver Economía|trans-title=Nayib Bukele Assumes Second Term and Announces "Bitter Medicine" to Resolve the Economy|language=es|date=1 June 2024|access-date=12 June 2024|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Susana|last1=Peñate|archive-date=12 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240612211747/https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/bukele-anuncia-medicina-amarga-para-resolver-economia/1146268/2024/|url-status=live}}</ref> During the inauguration, the [[Armed Forces of El Salvador]] (FAES) staged a [[military parade]] as a show of force<ref name="EPin">{{cite web|url=https://elpais.com/america/2024-06-01/bukele-exhibe-un-inmenso-poder-en-su-toma-de-posesion-es-el-momento-mas-importante-de-nuestra-historia-reciente.html|title=Bukele Exhibe un Inmenso Poder en su Toma de Posesión: "Es El Momento Más Importante de Nuestra Historia Reciente"|trans-title=Bukele Exhibits an Immense Power at His Inauguration: "This Is the Most Important Moment in Our Recent History"|language=es|work=[[El País]]|first1=Juan Diego|last1=Quesada|date=1 June 2024}}</ref> and Bukele wore a Napoleonic-cut jacket with gold trim to evoke the image of Venezuelan liberator [[Simón Bolívar]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lanoticiasv.com/bukele-cambio-su-estilo-en-la-toma-de-posesion-de-2024-automaticamente-senti-la-imagen-de-simon-bolivar/|title=Bukele Cambió su Estilo en la Toma de Posesión de 2024: «Automáticamente Sentí la Imagen de Simón Bolívar»|trans-title=Bukele Changed His Style in the 2024 Inauguration: "I Automatically Felt th Image of Simón Bolívar"|language=es|date=1 June 2024|access-date=17 June 2024|work=La Noticia SV|first1=David|last1=Morales|location=El Salvador|archive-date=17 June 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240617172458/https://lanoticiasv.com/bukele-cambio-su-estilo-en-la-toma-de-posesion-de-2024-automaticamente-senti-la-imagen-de-simon-bolivar/|url-status=live}}</ref> He described his second inauguration as "the most important moment in our recent history" ("{{lang|es|el momento más importante de nuestra historia reciente}}").<ref name="EPin" />

=== Crime ===

{{See also|Crime in El Salvador}}

During Bukele's presidential campaign, he promised to bring an end to gang violence in El Salvador;<ref name="TG election" /> El Salvador was considered one of the world's most dangerous countries due to its gang violence.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/22/el-salvador-worlds-most-homicidal-place|title=One Murder Every Hour: How El Salvador Became the Homicide Capital of the World|language=en|date=22 August 2015|access-date=27 March 2024|work=[[The Guardian]]|first1=Jonathan|last1=Watts|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328011659/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/aug/22/el-salvador-worlds-most-homicidal-place|url-status=live}}</ref> Most of El Salvador's violent crimes were committed by [[MS-13]] and the [[18th Street gang]] (Barrio 18). Although they are El Salvador's largest gangs, both originated in [[Los Angeles]]. MS-13 was formed in the 1980s by Salvadoran refugees fleeing El Salvador's civil war. The 18th Street gang was formed in the 1960s by Mexican immigrants. Much of the gang violence stemmed from income inequality, poverty, poor schools, a lack of job opportunities, and high urbanization.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sgp.fas.org/crs/row/RS22141.pdf|title=Gangs in Central America|language=en|date=10 May 2005|access-date=27 March 2024|work=[[Congressional Research Service]]|first1=Clare|last1=Ribando|pages=1–6|archive-date=8 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230608111306/https://sgp.fas.org/crs/row/RS22141.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|2–3}}

El Salvador's [[List of countries by intentional homicide rate|homicide rate]] peaked at 107 homicides per 100,000 people in 2015.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://insightcrime.org/news/brief/el-salvador-is-most-violent-nation-in-western-hemisphere/|title=El Salvador is Most Violent Nation in Western Hemisphere|language=en|date=4 January 2016|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[InSight Crime]]|first1=Arron|last1=Daugherty|archive-date=23 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240323062203/https://insightcrime.org/news/brief/el-salvador-is-most-violent-nation-in-western-hemisphere/|url-status=live}}</ref> El Salvador's homicide rate had decreased to 38 homicides per 100,000 people by 2019, still one of the world's highest.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/02/the-guardian-view-on-el-salvadors-crackdown-a-short-term-high-cost-fix|title=The Guardian View on El Salvador's Crime Crackdown: a Short-Term, High Cost Fix|language=en|date=2 July 2023|access-date=27 March 2024|work=[[The Guardian]]|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328011659/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jul/02/the-guardian-view-on-el-salvadors-crackdown-a-short-term-high-cost-fix|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="B2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.barrons.com/news/el-salvador-claims-lowest-murder-rate-in-decades-amid-gang-crackdown-8472cb28|title=El Salvador Claims Lowest Murder Rate In Decades Amid Gang Crackdown|language=en|date=3 January 2024|access-date=27 March 2024|work=[[Barron's]]|archive-date=20 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240120013823/https://www.barrons.com/news/el-salvador-claims-lowest-murder-rate-in-decades-amid-gang-crackdown-8472cb28|url-status=live}}</ref> Gangs controlled parts of El Salvador,<ref name="Roque Baldovinos" />{{Rp|237}} and ordered business owners to pay {{lang|es|renta}} ([[extortion]]) for [[Protection racket|protection]] or face violence.<ref name="reordering" /> In early 2019, there were an estimated 67,000 gang members in El Salvador.<ref name="TG election" /> During his presidency, Bukele enacted tough-on-crime policies that scholars have characterized as successfully reducing gang activity and violent crime, at the cost of [[Arbitrary arrest and detention|arbitrary arrest]] and alleged widespread human rights abuses.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Meléndez-Sánchez|first1=Manuel|last2=Vergara|first2=Alberto|date=July 2024|title=The Bukele Model: Will It Spread?|url=https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/930429|journal=[[Journal of Democracy]]|volume=35|issue=3|pages=84–98|issn=1086-3214|publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]]|access-date=2 July 2024|doi=10.1353/jod.2024.a930429|archive-date=1 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240701204044/https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/930429|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|84}}

==== Territorial Control Plan ====

On 19 June 2019, Bukele announced that his government would implement a seven-phase security [[Territorial Control Plan]] that sought to disrupt gang finances.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Gobierno-anuncia-plan-para-atacar-finanzas-de-maras-20190618-0547.html|title=Gobierno Anuncia Plan para Atacar Finanzas de Maras|trans-title=Government Announces Plan to Attack the Gangs' Finances|language=es|date=19 June 2019|access-date=23 March 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Melissa|last1=Pacheco|archive-date=15 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015042849/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Gobierno-anuncia-plan-para-atacar-finanzas-de-maras-20190618-0547.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The plan began that night at midnight.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://insightcrime.org/news/analysis/el-salvador-flirts-with-mano-dura-security-policies-again/|title=El Salvador Flirts with 'Mano Dura' Security Policies Again|date=21 June 2019|access-date=23 March 2024|work=[[InSight Crime]]|first1=Héctor|last1=Silva Ávalos|archive-date=10 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240210165821/https://insightcrime.org/news/analysis/el-salvador-flirts-with-mano-dura-security-policies-again/|url-status=live}}</ref> Phase one, known as "preparation", called for members of the country's security forces — the Armed Forces of El Salvador and the [[National Civil Police (El Salvador)|National Civil Police]] (PNC) — to be stationed in 12 of the country's 262 municipalities at locations where gangs were known to collect {{lang|es|renta}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Lo-que-se-sabe-del-Plan-Control-Territorial-implementado-este-jueves-por-el-Gobierno-20190620-0254.html|title=Lo Que se Sabe del "Plan Control Territorial" Implementado este Jueves por el Gobierno|trans-title=What Is Known About the "Territorial Control Plan" Implemented this Thursday by the Government|language=es|date=20 June 2019|access-date=15 September 2023|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Beatriz|last1=Calderón|first2=Francisco|last2=Alemán|archive-date=8 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608015816/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Lo-que-se-sabe-del-Plan-Control-Territorial-implementado-este-jueves-por-el-Gobierno-20190620-0254.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The government also implemented a temporary [[state of emergency]] in El Salvador's 28 prisons, putting them on [[lockdown]] and banning visitors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.as-coa.org/articles/el-salvadors-nayib-bukele-marks-100-days-office|title=El Salvador's Nayib Bukele Marks 100 Days in Office|language=en|date=9 September 2019|access-date=23 March 2024|work=[[Americas Society|AS/COA]]|first1=Paola|last1=Nagovitch|archive-date=2 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002045807/https://www.as-coa.org/articles/el-salvadors-nayib-bukele-marks-100-days-office|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Nayib Bukele – Territorial Control Plan phase two.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Nayib Bukele seated at the head of a table holding a piece of paper in his left hand in front of various cabinet officials|Bukele and members of his cabinet discussing phase two of the Territorial Control Plan, July 2019]]

Phase two of the plan, known as "opportunity", began in July 2019 and called for the creation of programs and initiatives to prevent youths predisposed to crime from engaging in criminal activity. The programs and initiatives included creating scholarships, building schools and sports centers, and improving healthcare. Bukele established the Social Fabric Revitalization Unit to implement the phase.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.as-coa.org/articles/explainer-nayib-bukeles-territorial-control-plan|title=Explainer: Nayib Bukele's Territorial Control Plan|language=en|date=13 February 2020|access-date=10 April 2024|work=[[Americas Society|AS/COA]]|first1=Paola|last1=Nagovitch|archive-date=23 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220823021814/https://www.as-coa.org/articles/explainer-nayib-bukeles-territorial-control-plan|url-status=live}}</ref> Phase three, known as "modernization", began in August 2019 and called for the improvement of equipment used by the country's security forces; it included issuing new weapons, gear, helicopters, and drones to the security forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Bukele-presento-fase-III-del-Plan-Control-Territorial-20190731-0512.html|title=Bukele Presentó Fase III del Plan Control Territorial|trans-title=Bukele Presented Phase III of the Territorial Control Plan|language=es|date=1 August 2019|access-date=10 April 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Gabriel|last1=Campos Madrid|archive-date=18 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220818114216/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Bukele-presento-fase-III-del-Plan-Control-Territorial-20190731-0512.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Phase four, known as "incursion", began in July 2021 when the security forces began patrolling areas with a high gang presence that were considered difficult to access.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Bukele-retoma-disposiciones-de-gestion-Funes-al-reforzar-Plan-Control-Territorial-con-militares-20210719-0072.html|title=Bukele Retoma Disposiciones de Gestión Funes al Reforzar Plan Control Territorial con Militares|trans-title=Bukele Resumes Provisions from Funes' Term by Reinforcing the Territorial Control Plan with Soldiers|language=es|date=19 July 2021|access-date=10 April 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Irvin|last1=Alvarado|archive-date=22 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122082502/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Bukele-retoma-disposiciones-de-gestion-Funes-al-reforzar-Plan-Control-Territorial-con-militares-20210719-0072.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

Phase five, known as "extraction", began in November 2022. Security forces were ordered to "surround large cities and extract the terrorists [gang members] who [were] hiding within the communities, without giving them the slightest possibility of escape".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvadors-bukele-scales-up-anti-gang-push-with-new-deployments-2022-11-24/|title=El Salvador's Bukele Scales Up Anti-Gang Push with New Deployments|language=en|date=23 November 2022|access-date=10 April 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Gerardo|last1=Arbaiza|editor1-first=David|editor1-last=Alire Garcia|editor2-first=Miral|editor2-last=Fahmy|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-date=2 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231002045807/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvadors-bukele-scales-up-anti-gang-push-with-new-deployments-2022-11-24/|url-status=live}}</ref> Phase six, known as "integration", began in September 2023, when Bukele established the National Integration Directory to combat poverty and unemployment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Presidente-Bukele-anuncia-sexta-etapa-del-Plan-Control-Territorial-20230915-0094.html|title=Presidente Bukele Anuncia Sexta Etapa del Plan Control Territorial|trans-title=President Bukele Announces Sixth Step in the Territorial Control Plan|language=es|date=15 September 2023|access-date=10 April 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|archive-date=30 September 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230930235336/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Presidente-Bukele-anuncia-sexta-etapa-del-Plan-Control-Territorial-20230915-0094.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Details about phase seven, that has not yet been implemented, are not publicly known.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elsalvadorinfo.net/nayib-bukeles-security-plan/|title=Nayib Bukele's Territorial Control Plan: Transforming El Salvador's Security Landscape|language=en|date=1 April 2024|access-date=10 April 2024|work=El Salvador Info|first1=Eddie|last1=Galdámez|archive-date=12 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240212014546/https://elsalvadorinfo.net/nayib-bukeles-security-plan/|url-status=live}}</ref>

El Salvador's homicide rate has decreased every year of Bukele's presidency, a downward trend that began in 2016.<ref name="FTCECOT">{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/d05a1b0a-f444-4337-99d2-84d9f0b59f95|title=Inside El Salvador's Mega Prison: The Jail Giving Inmates Less Space than Livestock|language=en|date=6 March 2023|access-date=8 March 2023|work=[[Financial Times]]|first1=Christine|last1=Murray|first2=Alan|last2=Smith|first3=Christopher|last3=Cook|location=[[Mexico City]] and [[London]]|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230307071545/https://www.ft.com/content/d05a1b0a-f444-4337-99d2-84d9f0b59f95|archive-date=7 March 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the Salvadoran government, the country's homicide rate was 38 per 100,000 people in 2019;<ref name="B2019" /> 19.7 per 100,000 in 2020;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://insightcrime.org/news/analysis/2020-homicide-round-up/|title=InSight Crime's 2020 Homicide Round-Up|language=en|date=29 January 2021|access-date=10 April 2024|work=[[InSight Crime]]|first1=Parker|last1=Asmann|first2=Katie|last2=Jones|archive-date=29 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129144753/https://insightcrime.org/news/analysis/2020-homicide-round-up/|url-status=live}}</ref> 17.6 per 100,000 in 2021;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://insightcrime.org/news/insight-crimes-2021-homicide-round-up/|title=InSight Crime's 2021 Homicide Round-Up|language=en|date=1 February 2022|access-date=19 April 2022|work=[[InSight Crime]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220420035259/https://insightcrime.org/news/insight-crimes-2021-homicide-round-up/|archive-date=20 April 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> 7.8 per 100,000 in 2022;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://insightcrime.org/news/insight-crime-2022-homicide-round-up/|title=InSight Crime's 2022 Homicide Round-Up|language=en|date=8 February 2023|access-date=10 April 2024|work=[[InSight Crime]]|first1=Peter|last1=Appleby|first2=Chris|last2=Dalby|first3=Sean|last3=Doherty|first4=Scott|last4=Mistler-Ferguson|first5=Henry|last5=Shuldiner|archive-date=7 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240407193938/https://insightcrime.org/news/insight-crime-2022-homicide-round-up/|url-status=live}}</ref> 2.4 per 100,000 in 2023;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-says-murders-fell-70-2023-it-cracked-down-gangs-2024-01-03/|title=El Salvador Says Murders Fell 70% in 2023 as It Cracked Down on Gangs|language=en|date=3 January 2024|access-date=10 April 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Valentine|last2=Hilaire|editor1-first=Rosalba|editor1-last=O'Brien|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-date=9 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240209055315/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-says-murders-fell-70-2023-it-cracked-down-gangs-2024-01-03/|url-status=live}}</ref> and 1.9 per 100,000 in 2024. Bukele has attributed the decline to his security policies.<ref name="2024h">{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-homicides-gangs-bukele-69384a8705267eaddd18dcd28a53465b#|title=El Salvador Closes 2024 with a Record Low Number of Homicides|language=en|date=1 January 2025|access-date=1 January 2025|work=[[Associated Press]]|first1=Marcos|last1=Alemán|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> 

According to {{ill|Celia Medrano|es}}, a human-rights lawyer and former general coordinator of the Commission for the Defense of Human Rights of Central America, it is "impossible" ("{{lang|es|imposible}}") to verify the Salvadoran government's homicide figures because there is "no public access" ("{{lang|es|no hay acceso público}}") to a daily homicide registry. Medrano stated that deaths in custody are not registered as homicides.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/es/los-presuntos-%C3%A9xitos-de-nayib-bukele-en-la-lucha-contra-la-violencia/a-63107030|title=Bukele y sus Presuntos Éxitos en el Combate a la Violencia|trans-title=Bukele and His Presumed Results in the Combat of Violence|language=es|work=[[Deutsche Welle]]|date=September 2022|access-date=4 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231128211704/https://www.dw.com/es/los-presuntos-%C3%A9xitos-de-nayib-bukele-en-la-lucha-contra-la-violencia/a-63107030|archive-date=28 November 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Bodies found in mass graves, missing persons, and people killed in police encounters are not included in the government's homicide statistics.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mondiplo.com/sin-cadaver-no-hay-crimen|title='Sin Cadáver No Hay Crimen'|trans-title=Without a Body, There Is No Crime|language=es|date=June 2023|access-date=4 February 2024|work=Mondiplo|first1=Benjamin|last1=Fernández|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204152109/https://mondiplo.com/sin-cadaver-no-hay-crimen|archive-date=4 February 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/12/honduras-and-el-salvador-two-crackdowns-crime-different-outcomes|title=Honduras and El Salvador: Two Crackdowns on Crime with Different Outcomes|language=en|date=5 December 2024|access-date=7 December 2024|work=[[United States Institute for Peace]]|first1=Dany|last1=Díaz Mejía|first2=Mary|last2=Speck}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In July 2024, then former United States president [[Donald Trump]] falsely<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2024/trump-speech-rnc-fact-checked/|title=Fact-check: Donald Trump's RNC Speech in Milwaukee was Full of Falsehoods About Immigrants, the Economy|language=en|date=19 July 2024|access-date=22 July 2024|work=[[Poynter Institute]]|archive-date=21 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240721174814/https://www.poynter.org/fact-checking/2024/trump-speech-rnc-fact-checked/|url-status=live}}</ref> accused Bukele's government of "exporting" criminals to the United States to lower El Salvador's crime rate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/07/wait-why-did-trump-take-a-jab-at-the-dictator-conservatives-love-last-night/|title=Wait, Why Did Trump Take a Jab at the "Dictator" Conservatives Love Last Night?|language=en|date=19 July 2024|access-date=22 July 2024|work=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]|first1=Isabela|last1=Dias|archive-date=22 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722191816/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/07/wait-why-did-trump-take-a-jab-at-the-dictator-conservatives-love-last-night/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Alleged gang negotiations ====

[[File:Osiris Luna Meza (March 2020).png|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=A screenshot of video surveillance footage showing various men waring face masks inside a prison hallway|Video surveillance footage in a prison, reportedly of [[Osiris Luna]] ''(left, 1)'' during negotiations with gangs in March 2020<ref name="ISagn">{{cite web|url=https://insightcrime.org/news/us-blacklists-el-salvador-officials-bolstering-accusations-gang-pacts/|title=US Blacklists El Salvador Officials, Bolstering Accusations of Gang Pacts|language=en|date=9 December 2021|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[InSight Crime]]|first1=Seth|last1=Robbins|archive-date=29 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229162412/https://insightcrime.org/news/us-blacklists-el-salvador-officials-bolstering-accusations-gang-pacts/|url-status=live}}</ref>]]

In July 2020, the [[International Crisis Group]] (ICG) published an analysis saying that the reason for the decrease in homicides during Bukele's first year in office could have been "quiet, informal understandings" between the government and the gangs. The Salvadoran government denied the ICG's allegations, and the ICG stated that it had no evidence to support the claim.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-el-salvador-violence-idUSKBN2492DS|title=El Salvador Murder Rate Plummets; Study Says Gangs May Have Informal Pact with Government|language=en|date=8 July 2020|access-date=16 December 2021|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Daina Beth|last2=Solomon|editor1-first=Bill|editor1-last=Berkrot|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216152720/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-el-salvador-violence-idUSKBN2492DS|archive-date=16 December 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

In September 2020, the Salvadoran digital newspaper ''[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]'' accused Bukele's government of conducting secret negotiations with MS-13. According to the ''El Faro'' report, the government agreed to grant MS-13 more freedom in prison in exchange for a reduction in homicides it would commit and support for Nuevas Ideas during the 2021 legislative elections.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.courrierinternational.com/article/criminalite-salvador-le-president-bukele-aurait-aussi-negocie-avec-les-gangs|title=Salvador: Le Président Bukele Aurait (Aussi) Négocié Avec les Gangs|trans-title=El Salvador: President Bukele Allegedly Negotiated with Gangs|language=fr|date=8 September 2020|access-date=11 September 2020|work=[[Courrier International]]|first1=Sabine|last1=Grandadam|url-access=registration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022070547/https://www.courrierinternational.com/article/criminalite-salvador-le-president-bukele-aurait-aussi-negocie-avec-les-gangs|archive-date=22 October 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele denied ''El Faro''{{'s}} allegations, posting photos on Twitter of gang members rounded up in cramped conditions from an April 2020 prison crackdown.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2020/09/04/nayib-bukele-niega-supuesto-pacto-con-pandillas-para-reducir-homicidios-en-el-salvador/#:~:text=(CNN%20Español)%20—%20El%20presidente,el%20periódico%20digital%20El%20Faro|title=Nayib Bukele Niega Supuesto Pacto con Pandillas para Reducir Homicidios en El Salvador|trans-title=Nayib Bukele Denies Alleged Pact with Gangs to Reduce Homicides in El Salvador|language=es|date=4 September 2020|access-date=8 June 2021|work=[[CNN en Español]]|first1=Merlin|last1=Delcid|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216032443/https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2020/09/04/nayib-bukele-niega-supuesto-pacto-con-pandillas-para-reducir-homicidios-en-el-salvador/#:~:text=(CNN%20Español)%20—%20El%20presidente,el%20periódico%20digital%20El%20Faro|archive-date=16 February 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 8 December 2021, the [[United States Department of the Treasury]] accused Bukele's government of secretly negotiating with MS-13 and Barrio 18 to lower the country's homicide rate. The department stated that Bukele's government "provided financial incentives" to both gangs to ensure that they would reduce the country's homicide rate and support Nuevas Ideas in the election held earlier that year (similar to ''El Faro''{{'s}} allegations the year before)<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/08/salvador-bukele-gangs-sanctions/|title=U.S. Accuses El Salvador of Cutting Secret Deal with MS-13 to Tamp Down Killings|language=en|date=8 December 2021|access-date=16 December 2021|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first1=Mary Beth|last1=Sheridan|first2=Anna-Catherine|last2=Brigida|issn=0190-8286|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211217230707/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/12/08/salvador-bukele-gangs-sanctions/|archive-date=17 December 2021|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="AQagn">{{cite web|url=https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/from-bad-to-worse-nayib-bukeles-split-with-washington/|title=From Bad to Worse: Nayib Bukele's Split with Washington|language=en|date=15 December 2021|access-date=16 December 2021|work=[[Americas Quarterly]]|first1=Stephen G.|last1=McFarland|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230218012147/https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/from-bad-to-worse-nayib-bukeles-split-with-washington/|archive-date=18 February 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> and sanctioned [[Osiris Luna|Osiris Luna Meza]] (the general director of penal centers and vice-minister of justice) and Social Fabric Revitalization Unit chair Carlos Marroquín Chica for negotiating with the gangs.<ref name="ISagn" /> 

Bukele denied the department's accusations, saying that the United States sought "absolute submission" from El Salvador rather than cooperation.<ref name="AQagn" /> The [[United States Department of Justice]] also accused Bukele's government of releasing gang leaders between 2019 and 2021 as a part of the negotiations, including Élmer "El Crook" Canales Rivera who was released in February 2021 despite having an active [[Interpol]] arrest warrant against him. Bukele has denied the department's accusations.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elpais.com/internacional/2023-02-26/la-fiscalia-de-ee-uu-senala-a-funcionarios-de-bukele-por-negociar-con-la-ms-13-entre-2019-y-2021.html|title=La Fiscalía de EE UU Señala a Funcionarios de Bukele por Negociar con la MS-13 Entre 2019 y 2021|trans-title=The U.S. Department of Justice Accuses Bukele's Ministers of Negotiating with MS-13 Between 2019 and 2021|date=26 February 2023|access-date=22 July 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Bryan|last1=Avelar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230226041138/https://elpais.com/internacional/2023-02-26/la-fiscalia-de-ee-uu-senala-a-funcionarios-de-bukele-por-negociar-con-la-ms-13-entre-2019-y-2021.html|archive-date=26 February 2023|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://elfaro.net/es/202311/el_salvador/27145/estados-unidos-captura-a-crook-dos-anos-despues-de-su-liberacion-ilegal-por-el-gobierno-de-bukele|title=Estados Unidos Captura a Crook Dos Años Después de su Liberación Ilegal por el Gobierno de Bukele|trans-title=United States Captured Crook Two Years After His Illegal Release by Bukele's Government|language=es|date=9 November 2023|access-date=22 July 2024|work=[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]|first1=Carlos|last1=Martínez|archive-date=22 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240722025510/https://elfaro.net/es/202311/el_salvador/27145/estados-unidos-captura-a-crook-dos-anos-despues-de-su-liberacion-ilegal-por-el-gobierno-de-bukele|url-status=live}}</ref>

==== Gang crackdown ====

From 25 to 27 March 2022, gangs in El Salvador committed 87 homicides;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/27/world/el-salvador-state-of-emergency-homicides-intl-latam/index.html|title=El Salvador Proclaims State of Emergency as Homicides Soar|first=Stefano|last=Pozzebon|date=27 March 2022|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=4 April 2022|language=en|archive-date=30 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330074102/https://www.cnn.com/2022/03/27/world/el-salvador-state-of-emergency-homicides-intl-latam/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/28/el-salvador-prisons-gang-killings|title=El Salvador Locks Down Prisons After Wave of 87 Killings Over Weekend|language=es|date=28 March 2022|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[The Guardian]]|archive-date=5 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405203933/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/28/el-salvador-prisons-gang-killings|url-status=live}}</ref> 62 were committed on 26 March alone, the deadliest day in Salvadoran history since the end of the [[Salvadoran Civil War]] (1979–1992).<ref name="March murders NYT">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/27/world/americas/el-salvador-gang-violence.html|title=Explosion of Gang Violence Grips El Salvador, Setting Record|language=en|date=27 March 2022|access-date=4 April 2022|work=[[The New York Times]]|first1=Maria|last1=Abi-Habib|first2=Bryan|last2=Avelar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404000028/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/27/world/americas/el-salvador-gang-violence.html|archive-date=4 April 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Florida International University]] research director José Miguel Cruz attributed the killings to a breakdown in a secret truce between the government and the gangs, a truce that Bukele denied making. Cruz believed that the killings were a message from the gangs to the government for more concessions as a part of the secret truce.<ref name="FTcrack">{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/e71cdf99-fd37-474d-af49-c917e650a4e7|title=El Salvador's Gang Crackdown Prompts Fears of Growing Authoritarianism|language=en|date=5 April 2022|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[Financial Times]]|first1=Christine|last1=Murray|location=[[Mexico City]], Mexico|archive-date=6 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406054316/https://www.ft.com/content/e71cdf99-fd37-474d-af49-c917e650a4e7|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{Tweet
| name      = Nayib Bukele
| username  = nayibbukele
| image     = Nayib Bukele's September 2024 Twitter profile picture (cropped).jpg
| text      = MESSAGE TO THE GANGS: We have 16,000 "homeboys" in our power. Aside from the 1,000 arrested these days. We seized everything they had, even their mattresses, we've rationed their food, and now they won't see the sun. STOP KILLING NOW or they will pay too.
| date      = 28 March 2022
| ID        = 1508543617970933761
| reference = <ref name="FTcrack" /><ref name="HRWcrack">{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/29/el-salvador-broad-state-emergency-risks-abuse-0|title=El Salvador: Broad "State of Emergency" Risks Abuse|language=en|date=29 March 2022|access-date=4 April 2022|work=[[Human Rights Watch]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]], United States|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110151136/https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/03/29/el-salvador-broad-state-emergency-risks-abuse-0|archive-date=10 January 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite tweet|last=Bukele|first=Nayib|author-link=Nayib Bukele|user=nayibbukele|number=1508543617970933761|date=28 March 2022|title=MENSAJE A LAS PANDILLAS: Tenemos 16,000 "homeboys" en nuestro poder. Aparte de los 1,000 arrestados en estos días. Les decomisamos todo, hasta las colchonetas para dormir, les racionamos la comida y ahora ya no verán el sol. PAREN DE MATAR YA o ellos la van a pagar también.|trans-title=MESSAGE TO THE GANGS: We have 16,000 "homeboys" in our power. Aside from the 1,000 arrested these days. We seized everything they had, even their mattresses, we've rationed their food, and now they won't see the sun. STOP KILLING NOW or they will pay too.|language=es|access-date=1 April 2024}}</ref>
| width     = 330px
}}

On 27 March 2022, the Legislative Assembly declared a 30-day [[state of emergency]], formally known as a "[[state of exception]]" ("{{lang|es|régimen de excepción}}")<ref name="RdE">{{cite web|url=https://www.alianzaamericas.org/region-centroamerica/que-es-un-regimen-de-excepcion-el-salvador/|title=Qué es un Régimen de Excepción – El Salvador|trans-title=What is the State of Exception – El Salvador|date=27 April 2022|access-date=14 July 2022|language=es|work=Alianza Americas|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230907125852/https://www.alianzaamericas.org/region-centroamerica/que-es-un-regimen-de-excepcion-el-salvador/|archive-date=7 September 2023|url-status=dead}}</ref> and sometimes known as the "[[Salvadoran gang crackdown|war on gangs]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/29/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-security-crackdown-gangs|title=El Salvador to Escalate its Security Crackdown After Death of Police Officers|language=en|date=29 June 2022|access-date=14 July 2022|work=[[The Guardian]]|first1=Tom|last1=Phillips|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220714013812/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/jun/29/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-security-crackdown-gangs|archive-date=14 July 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> The state of emergency suspended constitutional rights that included [[freedom of assembly]], [[freedom of association]], the [[Right to privacy|right to privacy in communication]], the right [[Habeas corpus|to be informed of the reason for arrest]], the right to [[Right to silence|remain silent]], and the right to [[Right to counsel|legal representation]]. The requirement for any arrested individual to see a judge within 72 hours of arrest was also suspended.<ref name="HRWcrack" /> 

The military was mobilized in neighborhoods controlled by gangs in an effort to reassert government control,<ref name="March murders NYT" /> and made large-scale arrests of suspected gang members across the country.<ref name="HRWcrack" /> In some instances, Bukele ordered security forces to blockade certain municipalities to capture all gang members within them. By October 2024, blockades were implemented twice in Apopa,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/es/nuevos-cercos-policiales-en-el-salvador-contra-las-pandillas/a-67071523|title=Nuevos Cercos Policiales en El Salvador Contra las Pandillas|trans-title=New Police Blockades in El Salvador Against the Gangs|language=es|date=11 October 2023|access-date=3 April 2024|work=[[Deutsche Welle]]|archive-date=3 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403074300/https://www.dw.com/es/nuevos-cercos-policiales-en-el-salvador-contra-las-pandillas/a-67071523|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Despliegan-militares-en-Apopa-tras-reportes-de-cobro-de-renta-por-supuestos-pandilleros-20240525-0022.html|title=Confirman Cerco Militar en Apopa Tras Reportes de Cobro de Renta por Supuestos Pandilleros|trans-title=They Confirm a Military Blockade in Apopa After Reports of Rent Demands by Supposed Gang Members|language=es|date=25 May 2024|access-date=25 May 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Alfredo|last1=Rodríguez}}</ref> [[Blockade of the Cabañas Department|Cabañas]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-66379555|title=El Salvador: Entire Region 'Under Siege' to Hem in Gangs|language=en|date=2 August 2023|access-date=3 April 2024|work=[[BBC News]]|archive-date=6 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240306101840/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-66379555|url-status=live}}</ref> Comasagua,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vozdeamerica.com/a/el-salvador-ponen-en-entredicho-cercos-militares-en-medio-de-regimen-de-excepcion-/6776601.html|title=El Salvador: Ponen en Entredicho Cercos Militares en Medio de Régimen de Excepción|trans-title=El Salvador: They Put Restrictive Military Blockades in the Middle of the State of Exception|language=es|date=5 October 2022|access-date=3 April 2024|work=[[Voice of America]]|first1=Karla|last1=Arévalo|archive-date=3 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403074301/https://www.vozdeamerica.com/a/el-salvador-ponen-en-entredicho-cercos-militares-en-medio-de-regimen-de-excepcion-/6776601.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Blockade of Nueva Concepción|Nuevo Concepción]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/cerco-militar-nueva-concepcion-chalatenango-asesinato-policia/1061607/2023/|title=Instalan Cerco Militar en Nueva Concepción, Chalatenango, Tras Asesinato de Policía|trans-title=They Install a Military Blockade in Nueva Concepción, Chalatenango, After the Murder of a Police Officer|language=es|date=17 May 2023|access-date=3 April 2024|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=David|last1=Cañenguez|archive-date=26 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230526103246/https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/cerco-militar-nueva-concepcion-chalatenango-asesinato-policia/1061607/2023/|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Blockade of San Marcos|San Marcos]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/nacionales/bukele-anuncia-cerco-de-seguridad-en-colonia-10-de-octubre-de-san-marcos|title=Bukele Anuncia Cerco de Seguridad en Colonia 10 de Octubre de San Marcos|trans-title=Bukele Announces Security Blockade in the 10 October Neighborhood of San Marcos|language=es|date=28 October 2024|access-date=28 October 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Iliana|last1=Cornejo}}</ref> [[Blockade of southern Chalatenango|southern Chalatenango]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2024/03/25/bukele-cerco-militar-soldados-policias-distritos-norte-el-salvador-orix/|title=Bukele Anuncia un Cerco con 5,000 Soldados y Policías en Cuatro Distritos en el Norte El Salvador|trans-title=Bukele Announces a Blockade with 5,000 Soldiers and Police Officers in Four Districts in Northern El Salvador|language=es|date=25 March 2024|access-date=3 April 2024|work=[[CNN en Español]]|archive-date=3 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403074300/https://cnnespanol.cnn.com/2024/03/25/bukele-cerco-militar-soldados-policias-distritos-norte-el-salvador-orix/|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Blockade of Soyapango|Soyapango]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63846159|title=El Salvador: Thousands of Troops Surround City in Gang Crackdown|language=en|date=3 December 2022|access-date=3 April 2024|work=[[BBC News]]|first1=Matt|last1=Murphy|archive-date=12 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212140032/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63846159|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Soldiers during the Blockade of San Marcos.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Soldiers in camouflage uniform, armed with rifles, and standing in an uncovered truck in San Marcos|Soldiers in a truck in [[San Marcos, El Salvador|San Marcos]] during the October 2024 [[Blockade of San Marcos|blockade of that city]]]]
[[File:CECOT tour.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Nayib Bukele surrounded by four government officials while touring through a prison cell block, with prison guards in riot gear are standing in formation in front of cell entrances|Bukele and government officials touring a cell block in the [[Terrorism Confinement Center]], March 2022]]

Bukele has threatened incarcerated gang members. At the beginning of the crackdown, he tweeted that the government had seized incarcerated gang members' belongings, removed their mattresses, and rationed their food.<ref name="FTcrack" /><ref name="HRWcrack" /> Bukele also posted a video of prisoners sleeping on floors and complaining about a lack of food and sanitation.<ref name="PoD">{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/31/el-salvador-bukele-warns-gangs-lead-to-prison-or-death|title=El Salvador's Bukele Warns Gangs Lead to "Prison or Death"|language=en|date=31 March 2022|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Al Jazeera English]]|archive-date=2 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402192727/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/3/31/el-salvador-bukele-warns-gangs-lead-to-prison-or-death|url-status=live}}</ref> He threatened to deprive them of food entirely in April 2022 if the gangs attempted to retaliate against the crackdown, citing rumors about revenge killings.<ref name="LATt">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-04-05/el-salvador-leader-cut-food-for-gang-inmates|title=El Salvador's President Threatens to Cut All Food for Gang Inmates|language=en|date=5 April 2022|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401154358/https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-04-05/el-salvador-leader-cut-food-for-gang-inmates|url-status=live}}</ref> 

After members of Barrio 18 killed three police officers in [[Santa Ana, El Salvador|Santa Ana]] in June 2022, Bukele said at a press conference that the gangs were "going to pay dearly" for the "[[ambush]]" against the police.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/salvadoran-president-vows-tougher-war-gangs-after-police-killed-2022-06-29/|title=Salvadoran Presidents Vows Tougher War on Gangs After Police Killed|language=en|date=28 June 2022|access-date=14 July 2022|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Madry|last2=Kylie|editor1-first=David Alire|editor1-last=Garcia|editor2-first=Robert|editor2-last=Birsel|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715032337/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/salvadoran-president-vows-tougher-war-gangs-after-police-killed-2022-06-29/|archive-date=15 July 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> The government began destroying [[gravestone]]s belonging to deceased gang members in November 2022 to prevent them from becoming "shrines"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20221103-el-salvador-destroys-gang-members-gravestones|title=El Salvador Destroys Gang Members' Gravestones|language=en|date=3 November 2022|access-date=3 November 2022|work=[[France 24]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103215247/http://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20221103-el-salvador-destroys-gang-members-gravestones|archive-date=3 November 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> and Bukele compared the gravestone destructions to [[denazification]] in post-[[World War II]] Germany.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/mar/6/el-salvador-president-says-destroying-gang-member-/|title=El Salvador President Says Destroying Gang Member Tombstones Akin to Germany Erasing Nazi Symbols|language=en|date=6 March 2023|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[The Washington Times]]|first1=Matt|last1=Delaney|archive-date=2 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402194225/https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2023/mar/6/el-salvador-president-says-destroying-gang-member-/|url-status=live}}</ref> He warned Salvadoran parents to keep their children away from gangs, since they would lead to "prison or death".<ref name="PoD" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/16/more-than-30500-arrested-in-el-salvador-gang-crackdown|title=More than 30,500 Arrested in El Salvador Gang Crackdown|language=en|date=16 May 2022|access-date=16 May 2022|work=[[Al Jazeera English]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220516170604/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/16/more-than-30500-arrested-in-el-salvador-gang-crackdown|archive-date=16 May 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

Shortly after the crackdown began, Bukele called for the construction of a new 20,000-inmate prison.<ref name="LATt"/> He announced the construction in July 2022 of the 40,000-inmate [[Terrorism Confinement Center]] (CECOT) in [[Tecoluca]], that would be one of the world's largest prisons.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/96eca255-1346-4a90-be0b-738361b1b317|title=El Salvador Builds 40,000-Inmate Mega-Prison in "War Against Gangs"|language=en|date=23 August 2022|access-date=23 August 2022|work=[[Financial Times]]|first1=David|last1=Agren|location=[[Mexico City]] and [[London]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230110210448/https://www.ft.com/content/96eca255-1346-4a90-be0b-738361b1b317|archive-date=10 January 2023|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In February 2023, Bukele posted a video on Twitter of him and members of his cabinet touring the prison. It is staffed by 250 police officers and 600 soldiers, and covers {{convert|410|acre|ha}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-opens-40000-person-prison-arrests-soar-gang-crackdown-2023-02-01/|title=El Salvador Opens 40,000-Person Prison as Arrests Soar in Gang Crackdown|language=en|date=1 February 2023|access-date=2 February 2023|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Sarah|last2=Kinosian|editor1-first=Sandra|editor1-last=Maler|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230201220558/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-opens-40000-person-prison-arrests-soar-gang-crackdown-2023-02-01/|archive-date=1 February 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele posted a video on Twitter on 24 February 2023 of the transfer of the prison's first 2,000 prisoners,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lapagina.com.sv/nacionales/videos-presidente-nayib-bukele-confirma-envio-de-2-mil-pandilleros-al-cecot/|title=Videos {{!}} Presidente Nayib Bukele Confirma Envío de 2 Mil Pandilleros al CECOT|trans-title=VIDEOS {{!}} President Nayib Bukele Confirms Sending 2 Thousand Gang Members to CECOT|date=24 February 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=La Página|first1=Bessy|last1=Quiej|archive-date=26 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326090757/https://lapagina.com.sv/nacionales/videos-presidente-nayib-bukele-confirma-envio-de-2-mil-pandilleros-al-cecot/|url-status=live}}</ref> and posted a similar video the following month of the transfer of 2,000 more prisoners.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.barrons.com/news/second-group-of-prisoners-transferred-to-el-salvador-mega-jail-73cca409|title=Second Group Of Prisoners Transferred To El Salvador Mega-Jail|language=en|date=15 March 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[Barron's]]|archive-date=30 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330100243/https://www.barrons.com/news/second-group-of-prisoners-transferred-to-el-salvador-mega-jail-73cca409|url-status=live}}</ref> By 11 June 2024, CECOT had at least 14,532 inmates.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Trasladan-2000-privados-de-libertad-al-CECOT-el-megapenal-de-El-Salvador-que-ya-llego-a-la-cifra-de-14532-reclusos-20240611-0083.html|title=Trasladan 2,000 Privados de Libertad al CECOT, el Megapenal de El Salvador que ya Llegó a la Cifra de 14,532 Reclusos|trans-title=They Transfer 2,000 Deprived of Liberty to CECOT, El Salvador's Megaprison That Already Holds 14,532 Recluse|language=es|date=11 June 2024|access-date=30 June 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=David|last1=Bernal}}</ref>

Liz Throssell, a spokeswoman for the [[Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights]], called the actions of El Salvador's security forces during the gang crackdown an "unnecessary and excessive use of force".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/5/un-rights-office-raises-concerns-over-el-salvador-gang-crackdown|title=UN Rights Office Raises Concerns about El Salvador Gang Crackdown|language=en|date=5 April 2022|access-date=5 April 2022|work=[[Al Jazeera English]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220405195222/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/4/5/un-rights-office-raises-concerns-over-el-salvador-gang-crackdown|archive-date=5 April 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Human Rights Watch has stated that there was "mounting evidence" and "credible allegations" that Salvadoran authorities were committing [[human rights violation]]s such as arbitrary arrests, [[enforced disappearance]]s, [[false confession]]s, and [[Death in custody|deaths in police custody]] during the gang crackdown.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/05/02/el-salvador-evidence-serious-abuse-state-emergency|title=El Salvador: Evidence of Serious Abuse in State of Emergency|language=en|date=2 May 2022|access-date=2 May 2022|work=[[Human Rights Watch]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110151235/https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/05/02/el-salvador-evidence-serious-abuse-state-emergency|url-status=live|archive-date=10 January 2024}}</ref><ref name="3319m">{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-bukele-gang-crackdown-minors-adolescents-jailed-bef309c1917113deed583f9e5d4a2d0c|title=El Salvador has Arrested 3,319 Minors and Sentenced Almost 600 as Part of Anti-Gang Crackdown|language=en|date=16 July 2024|access-date=19 July 2024|work=[[Associated Press]]|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-date=17 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717204233/https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-bukele-gang-crackdown-minors-adolescents-jailed-bef309c1917113deed583f9e5d4a2d0c|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Amnesty International]] stated the following month that the Salvadoran government has committed "massive human rights violations", including [[torture]], against prisoners.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/2/el-salvador-committing-massive-rights-violations-amnesty-says|title=El Salvador Committing 'Massive' Rights Violations, Amnesty Says|language=en|date=2 June 2022|access-date=5 June 2022|work=[[Al Jazeera English]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220604171619/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/6/2/el-salvador-committing-massive-rights-violations-amnesty-says|archive-date=4 June 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/02/americas/el-salvador-human-rights-violations-amnesty-report-intl-latam/index.html|title=Salvadoran Authorities are Committing 'Massive' Human Rights Violations, with Nearly 2% of the Country Detained, Amnesty Alleges|language=en|date=2 June 2022|access-date=5 June 2022|work=[[CNN]]|first1=Merlin|last1=Delcid|first2=Karol|last2=Suarez|first3=Kara|last3=Fox|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220605175926/https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/02/americas/el-salvador-human-rights-violations-amnesty-report-intl-latam/index.html|archive-date=5 June 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

In June 2024, Bukele told ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' that the security situation in El Salvador had become sustainable and that he and his government hoped to end the state of emergency "in the near future".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-gangs-e835521a63ab5b83abcd690eb6b2ce00|title=El Salvador President Nayib Bukele Says Security Sustainable Without a State of Emergency|language=en|date=29 August 2024|access-date=29 August 2024|work=[[Associated Press]]|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-date=30 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240830021511/https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-gangs-e835521a63ab5b83abcd690eb6b2ce00|url-status=live}}</ref> By 4 March 2025, the state of exception had been extended 36 times by the Legislative Assembly. By that same date, over 85,000 suspected gang members had been arrested,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Extienden-por-30-dias-mas-el-regimen-de-excepcion-en-El-Salvador-que-pronto-cumplira-3-anos-20250304-0066.html|title=Extienden por 30 Días Más el Régimen de Excepción en El Salvador, que Pronto Cumplirá 3 Años|trans-title=They Extend the State of Exception in El Salvador, Which Will Soon Complete 3 Years, for 30 More Days|language=es|date=4 March 2025|access-date=6 March 2025|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]}}</ref> 3,319 of whom were minors according to Human Rights Watch.<ref name="3319m" /> The large-scale arrests increased El Salvador's prison population from 37,190 in 2020 to over 105,000 by December 2023. With 1.7 percent of its population in prison, El Salvador has the highest incarceration rate in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://insightcrime.org/investigations/el-salvador-keeping-lid-on-prisons/|title=Keeping a Lid on Prisons|language=en|date=6 December 2023|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[InSight Crime]]|first1=Alex|last1=Papadovassilakis|archive-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401164355/https://insightcrime.org/investigations/el-salvador-keeping-lid-on-prisons/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2024/02/06/1226991801/el-salvador-state-of-exception|title=Portraits from El Salvador's nearly 2-year, sprawling crackdown on gang suspects|language=en|date=6 February 2024|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[NPR]]|first1=Carlos|last1=Barrera|archive-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401224855/https://www.npr.org/sections/pictureshow/2024/02/06/1226991801/el-salvador-state-of-exception|url-status=live}}</ref> By November 2024, more than 8,000 people had been released after the government determined that they were innocent.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/congresista-democrata-de-eeuu-sugiere-exportar-modelo-de-el-salvador-a-todo-el-mundo|title=Congresista Demócrata de EE.UU. Sugiere "Exportar" Modelo de El Salvador "a Todo el Mundo"|trans-title=US Democratic Congressman Wants to "Export" the El Salvador Model "to the Whole World"|language=es|date=20 November 2024|access-date=20 November 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Yolanda|last1=Magaña|archive-date=20 November 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241120174520/https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/congresista-democrata-de-eeuu-sugiere-exportar-modelo-de-el-salvador-a-todo-el-mundo|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the human rights organizations, at least 367 people had died in custody by March 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2025/03/20/trump-deportations-el-salvador-prisons-bukele-human-rights/|title=The Horror Inside the Salvadoran Prisons Where Trump Is Sending Migrants|language=en|date=20 March 2025|access-date=7 April 2025|work=[[Foreign Policy]]|first1=Noah|last1=Bullock}}</ref> A number of opinion polls between May 2022 and June 2023 indicated that 80 to 90 percent of Salvadorans approved of the gang crackdown and measures taken by the government against the gangs.<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|url=https://www.cidgallup.com/blog-details.php?publication=MjIzTVlfU0VDUkVUX1NUVUZG&fbclid=IwAR0aeMjbxfBrXW2L0YfhDckbzoFUN0kMpvXIPHHtS82qG4VzdpDartMTNTc|title=La Población Aprueba as Labores Realizadas en el Campo de la Seguridad|trans-title=The Population Approves as Works Carried Out in the Field of Security|language=es|date=5 September 2022|access-date=2 April 2024|work=Cid-Gallup|archive-date=2 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402194225/https://www.cidgallup.com/blog-details.php?publication=MjIzTVlfU0VDUkVUX1NUVUZG&fbclid=IwAR0aeMjbxfBrXW2L0YfhDckbzoFUN0kMpvXIPHHtS82qG4VzdpDartMTNTc|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63846159|title=El Salvador: Thousands of Troops Surround City in Gang Crackdown|language=en|date=4 December 2022|access-date=22 March 2023|work=[[BBC News]]|first1=Matt|last1=Murphy|archive-date=12 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212140032/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-63846159|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.tresearch.mx/post/sv-aprobacion-gobierno|title=Jun/23 El Salvador: 4 Años de Gobierno 93% lo Aprueba|trans-title=Jun/23 El Salvador: 4 Years of Government 93% Approve|language=es|date=November 2022|access-date=2 April 2024|work=TResearch|first1=Carlos|last1=Penna C.|archive-date=22 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230622034829/https://www.tresearch.mx/post/sv-aprobacion-gobierno|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-vows-gang-crackdown-will-go-citizens-cheer-safer-streets-2023-02-15/|title=El Salvador Vows Gang Crackdown Will Go On as Citizens Cheer Safer Streets|language=en|date=15 February 2023|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Sarah|last2=Kinosian|archive-date=2 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602210132/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-vows-gang-crackdown-will-go-citizens-cheer-safer-streets-2023-02-15/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Political crises ===

{{Main|2020 Salvadoran political crisis|2021 Salvadoran political crisis}}

{{Multiple image
| align     = right
| direction = vertical
| width     = 220px
| image1    = Soldiers in the Legislative Assembly.png
| alt1      = Soldiers in a room
| image2    = Legislative Assembly removing Supreme Court justices.png
| alt2      = Members of the Legislative Assembly standing and applauding
| footer    = The 2020 ''(top)'' and 2021 crises are known by the [[numeronym]]s "9F" and "1M", respectively.<ref name="EBL">{{cite book|last1=Baltazar Landeros|first1=Edgar|date=2021|chapter=El Populismo de Nayib Bukele|trans-chapter=The Populism of Nayib Bukele|title=Bicentenario de Centroamérica: Historias Comunes, Luchas y Transformaciones|trans-title=Bicentenary of Central America: Common Histories, Fights, and Transformations|language=es|publisher=[[Latin American Council of Social Sciences]]|pages=77–108|doi=10.2307/j.ctv2v88f55.6 |isbn=9789878130590|jstor=j.ctv2v88f55.6|jstor-access=free|oclc=10023154171}}</ref>{{Rp|77}}
}}

In November 2019, Bukele began trying to secure a $109 million loan from the [[Central American Bank for Economic Integration]] to fund phase three of the Territorial Control Plan.<ref name="BBC9F">{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-51458947|title=El Salvador Parliament Denounces President's 'Attempted Coup'|language=en|date=11 February 2020|access-date=9 February 2021|work=[[BBC News]]|archive-date=5 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200905170253/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-51458947|url-status=live}}</ref> The legislature, which was controlled by ARENA and the FMLN, asked him to give them more time to evaluate the loan.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/constitutional-crisis-el-salvador-bukele-security-plan-200210183636678.html|title=Constitutional Crisis in El Salvador Over Bukele's Security Plan|language=en|date=10 February 2020|access-date=7 June 2020|work=[[Al Jazeera English]]|first1=Anna-Catherine|last1=Brigida|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200911034506/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2020/02/constitutional-crisis-el-salvador-bukele-security-plan-200210183636678.html|archive-date=11 September 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> On 6 February 2020, Bukele invoked Article 167 of the [[Constitution of El Salvador|country's constitution]] and called for an emergency meeting of the Legislative Assembly to approve the loan. He called for his supporters to rally around the Legislative Assembly during the emergency meeting that was scheduled for 9 February.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nacla.org/news/2020/02/19/el-bukelazo-shades-dictatorship-el-salvador|title=El Bukelazo: Shades of Dictatorship in El Salvador|language=en|date=19 February 2020|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[North American Congress on Latin America]]|first1=Hilary|last1=Goodfriend|archive-date=27 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327162705/https://nacla.org/news/2020/02/19/el-bukelazo-shades-dictatorship-el-salvador|url-status=live}}</ref> Although Bukele ordered 40 soldiers into the Legislative Assembly's meeting room on the day of the meeting to coerce legislators into approving the loan,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/16/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-military-alarming-memories|title=Nayib Bukele's Military Stunt Raises Alarming Memories in El Salvador|date=16 February 2020|access-date=23 February 2020|work=[[The Guardian]]|first1=David|last1=Agren|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200222211323/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/16/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-military-alarming-memories|archive-date=22 February 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> a [[quorum]] was not reached and the loan was not approved.<ref name="EP9F">{{cite news|url=https://elpais.com/internacional/2020/02/10/america/1581294344_999638.html|title=Bukele se Enfrenta al Parlamento de El Salvador y Genera una Crisis Constitucional|trans-title=Bukele Confronts El Salvador's Parliament and Generates a Constitutional Crisis|language=en|date=10 February 2020|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Carlos|last1=Salinas Maldonado|location=[[Mexico City]], Mexico|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200210035906/https://elpais.com/internacional/2020/02/10/america/1581294344_999638.html|archive-date=10 February 2020|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Opposition politicians described the crisis as a "[[self-coup]]",<ref name="BBC9F" /><ref name="EP9F" /> and it is known in El Salvador as "9F" or "El{{nbsp}}Bukelazo".<ref name="EBL" />{{Rp|84}}

In the [[2021 Salvadoran legislative election|2021 legislative elections]], Nuevas Ideas received a [[supermajority]] in the Legislative Assembly.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/in-el-salvador-a-chastened-opposition-looks-to-find-its-way/|title=In El Salvador, a Chastened Opposition Looks to Find Its Way|language=en|date=31 May 2022|access-date=8 September 2022|work=[[Americas Quarterly]]|first1=Chase|last1=Harrison|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909044217/https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/in-el-salvador-a-chastened-opposition-looks-to-find-its-way/|archive-date=9 September 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> On 1 May 2021, Nuevas Ideas formed a coalition government with GANA, the [[National Coalition Party (El Salvador)|National Coalition Party]] (PCN), and the [[Christian Democratic Party (El Salvador)|Christian Democratic Party]] (PDC).<ref name="EBL" />{{Rp|89}} That day, the coalition voted to remove the five justices of the Supreme Court of Justice's constitutional court and Attorney General Raúl Melara.<ref name="AJ1M">{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/2/crisis-brewing-as-el-salvador-congress-votes-out-top-judges|title=Crisis Brewing as El Salvador's Congress Votes out Top Judges|language=en|date=2 May 2021|access-date=7 June 2021|work=[[Al Jazeera English]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517185336/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/5/2/crisis-brewing-as-el-salvador-congress-votes-out-top-judges|archive-date=17 May 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> The justices were replaced by five of Bukele's allies, and Melara was replaced by [[Rodolfo Delgado (lawyer)|Rodolfo Delgado]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elfaro.net/en/202105/el_salvador/25452/New-Legislative-Assembly-Ousts-Supreme-Court-Magistrates-and-Attorney-General.htm|title=Bukele's Legislative Assembly Ousts Supreme Court Magistrates and Attorney General|language=en|date=2 May 2021|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]|first1=Jimmy|last1=Alvarado|first2=Roxana|last2=Lazo|first3=Sergio|last3=Arauz|archive-date=5 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405195104/https://elfaro.net/en/202105/el_salvador/25452/New-Legislative-Assembly-Ousts-Supreme-Court-Magistrates-and-Attorney-General.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The purge, known in El Salvador as "1M",<ref name="EBL" />{{Rp|89}} was described by journalists and opposition politicians as a "self-coup" and a "power grab"<ref name="AJ1M" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/20/el-salvadors-president-launched-self-coup-watch-creeping-corruption-authoritarianism/|title=El Salvador's President Launched a 'Self-Coup'. Watch for Creeping Corruption and Authoritarianism.|language=en|date=20 May 2021|access-date=20 May 2021|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first1=Manuel|last1=Meléndez-Sánchez|first2=Steven|last2=Levitsky|issn=0190-8286|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606100412/https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/20/el-salvadors-president-launched-self-coup-watch-creeping-corruption-authoritarianism/|archive-date=6 June 2021|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref name="ABC News">{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/el-salvadors-president-pushes-ahead-power-grab-us/story?id=77488077|title=El Salvador's President Pushes Ahead with Power Grab Despite US Condemnation|language=en|date=4 May 2021|access-date=17 May 2021|work=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|first1=Connor|last1=Finnegan|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517185335/https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/el-salvadors-president-pushes-ahead-power-grab-us/story?id=77488077|archive-date=17 May 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> and was condemned by the United States.<ref name="ABC News"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56970026|title=US Concerned over Removal of top Salvadoran Judges|language=en|date=3 May 2021|access-date=16 December 2021|work=[[BBC News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216151333/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-56970026|archive-date=16 December 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://americasquarterly.org/article/reaction-what-bukeles-big-power-grab-means-for-el-salvador/|title=Reaction: What Bukele's Power Grab Means for El Salvador|language=en|date=3 May 2021|access-date=17 May 2021|work=[[Americas Quarterly]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210517185338/https://americasquarterly.org/article/reaction-what-bukeles-big-power-grab-means-for-el-salvador/|archive-date=17 May 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== COVID-19 pandemic ===
Bukele issued an executive decree on 11 March 2020 imposing a "quarantine throughout the national territory" ("{{lang|es|cuarentena en todo el territorio nacional}}"), shortly after [[World Health Organization]] (WHO) [[Director-General of the World Health Organization|director-general]] [[Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus]] declared the [[COVID-19]] outbreak a [[COVID-19 pandemic|pandemic]]. The quarantine suspended all school activities for 21 days, prohibited foreigners from entering the country, and mandated a 30-day quarantine for everyone entering the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/es/20200314-covid19-el-salvador-nayib-bukele-am%C3%A9rica-latina|title=Sin Casos Confirmados de COVID-19, El Salvador Emprende Drásticas Acciones para Afrontar Pandemia|trans-title=Without Confirmed Cases of COVID-19, El Salvador Takes Drastic Actions to Confront the Pandemic|language=es|date=14 March 2020|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[France 24]]|archive-date=10 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110235548/https://www.france24.com/es/20200314-covid19-el-salvador-nayib-bukele-am%C3%A9rica-latina|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele confirmed the first case of [[COVID-19 pandemic in El Salvador|COVID-19 in El Salvador]] on 18 March 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Lo-que-se-sabe-y-lo-que-no-sobre-el-primer-infectado-con-coronavirus-en-El-Salvador-20200319-0074.html|title=Lo Que se Sabe (Y lo Que No) Sobre el Primer Infectado con Coronavirus en El Salvador|trans-title=What We Know (And What We Don't) About the First Coronavirus Infection in El Salvador|language=es|date=19 March 2020|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Beatriz|last1=Calderón|archive-date=2 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402142911/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Lo-que-se-sabe-y-lo-que-no-sobre-el-primer-infectado-con-coronavirus-en-El-Salvador-20200319-0074.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The country's first death from the disease was recorded on 31 March.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historico.elsalvador.com/historico/701623/coronavirus-primera-muerte-el-salvador.html|title=El Salvador Registra Primera Muerte por Coronavirus|trans-title=El Salvador Registers Its First Death to the Coronavirus|language=es|date=31 March 2020|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=R.|last1=Tejada|archive-date=2 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230702031543/https://historico.elsalvador.com/historico/701623/coronavirus-primera-muerte-el-salvador.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On 5 May 2023, the [[Pan American Health Organization]] declared the end of the pandemic.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.paho.org/es/noticias/6-5-2023-se-acaba-emergencia-por-pandemia-pero-covid-19-continua|title=Se Acaba la Emergencia por la Pandemia, Pero la COVID-19 Continúa|trans-title=The Pandemic Emergency is Over, But COVID-19 Continues|language=es|date=6 May 2023|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[Pan American Health Organization]]|archive-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401200121/https://www.paho.org/es/noticias/6-5-2023-se-acaba-emergencia-por-pandemia-pero-covid-19-continua|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the WHO, {{As of|2023|September|27}}, El Salvador had 201,807 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 4,230 deaths from the disease by 2 June 2023; the WHO reported that 11,426,688 doses of the [[COVID-19 vaccine]] had been administered in El Salvador by that date.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://covid19.who.int/region/amro/country/sv|title=El Salvador Situation|access-date=7 June 2021|work=[[World Health Organization]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511183146/https://covid19.who.int/region/amro/country/sv/|archive-date=11 May 2022|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[File:Fachada Hospital El Salvador.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=A photograph of the entrance of Hospital El Salvador with several Salvadoran flags waving on flag poles in front of the hospital|Entrance of [[Hospital El Salvador]]]]

On 21 March 2020, Bukele imposed a 30-day [[COVID-19 lockdowns|nationwide lockdown]] in an effort to combat the pandemic. During the lockdown, 4,236 people were arrested by the National Civil Police for violating the lockdown order; 70 were arrested before the lockdown order became public. The arrestees were quarantined in a "containment center". Human rights organizations such as [[Human Rights Watch]] criticized the arrests, citing instances of arbitrary arrests and abuse by police.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/15/el-salvador-police-abuses-covid-19-response|title=El Salvador: Police Abuses in Covid-19 Response|language=en|date=15 April 2020|access-date=7 June 2021|work=[[Human Rights Watch]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]], United States|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205233238/https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/15/el-salvador-police-abuses-covid-19-response|archive-date=5 February 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> Amid April 2020 lockdowns in the country's prisons and published images of prisoners lined up in cramped positions, Human Rights Watch called the prisons' living conditions "inhumane" (particularly in light of the pandemic).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/29/el-salvador-inhumane-prison-lockdown-treatment|title=El Salvador: Inhumane Prison Lockdown Treatment|language=en|date=29 April 2020|access-date=7 June 2021|work=[[Human Rights Watch]]|location=[[Washington, D.C.]], United States|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429231346/https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/04/29/el-salvador-inhumane-prison-lockdown-treatment|archive-date=29 April 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 27 May 2020, the United States donated 250 [[ventilator]]s to El Salvador. During a press conference where Bukele received the ventilators, he said that he took [[hydroxychloroquine]] as [[preventive healthcare|prophylaxis]] and added that "most of the world's leaders use [hydroxychloroquine] as a prophylaxis".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/27/americas/salvador-president-coronavirus-hydroxychloroquine-intl/index.html|title=Salvadoran Leader Says He Takes Hydroxychloroquine|language=en|date=27 May 2020|access-date=7 June 2021|work=[[CNN]]|first1=Tatiana|last1=Arias|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608030119/https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/27/americas/salvador-president-coronavirus-hydroxychloroquine-intl/index.html|archive-date=8 June 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele inaugurated the [[Hospital El Salvador]], the largest hospital in Latin America used exclusively for treating cases of COVID-19 at the site of the former {{ill|International Center for Fairs and Conventions|es|Centro Internacional de Ferias y Convenciones}}, on 22 June 2020. The hospital had a capacity of 400 beds, 105 intensive-care units, and 295 intermediate-care units staffed by 240 doctors.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lanotta.com/el-salvador-inauguro-el-hospital-mas-grande-america-latina/|title=Pandemia: El Salvador Inauguró el Hospital Más Grande América Latina|trans-title=Pandemic: El Salvador Inaugurated the Largest Hospital in Latin America|language=es|date=22 June 2020|access-date=7 June 2021|work=La Notta|first1=Scarlett|last1=Reyes|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629001214/https://lanotta.com/el-salvador-inauguro-el-hospital-mas-grande-america-latina/|archive-date=29 June 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> In August 2020, the hospital's capacity was increased by 575 beds.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/Nacionales/fase-ii-del-hospital-el-salvador-funciona-desde-el-miercoles-5-de-agosto|title=Fase II del Hospital El Salvador Funciona desde el Miércoles 5 de Agosto|trans-title=Phase II of Hospital El Salvador Will Function From Wednesday 5 August|language=es|date=9 August 2020|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Iliana|last1=Cornejo|archive-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401190243/https://diario.elmundo.sv/Nacionales/fase-ii-del-hospital-el-salvador-funciona-desde-el-miercoles-5-de-agosto|url-status=live}}</ref> It began treating conditions other than COVID-19 by June 2022.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/hospital-el-salvador-ya-no-es-solo-covid/971356/2022/|title=El Hospital El Salvador Ya No es Solo para COVID|trans-title=Hospital El Salvador Is Not Longer Only for COVID|language=es|date=26 June 2022|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Susana|last1=Joma|first2=Carlos|last2=López Vides|archive-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401180547/https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/hospital-el-salvador-ya-no-es-solo-covid/971356/2022/|url-status=live}}</ref> In April 2021, Bukele inaugurated a vaccination center at Hospital El Salvador to administer up to 10,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine per day;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://historico.elsalvador.com/historico/826843/nayib-bukele-cadena-nacional-vacunacion-covid-hospital-el-salvador.html|title=Presidente Bukele Inaugura Centro de Vacunación Masiva en Tercera Fase del Hospital El Salvador|trans-title=President Bukele Inaugurates a Massive Vaccination Center in the Third Phase of Hospital El Salvador|language=es|date=12 April 2021|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=R.|last1=Tejada|first2=Carlos|last2=Vides|archive-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401181309/https://historico.elsalvador.com/historico/826843/nayib-bukele-cadena-nacional-vacunacion-covid-hospital-el-salvador.html|url-status=live}}</ref> the center closed in August 2022, as dose administrations diminished.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/cerrar-vacunatorio-megacentro-no-es-desmontaje-segun-salud/993521/2022/|title=Cerrar el Vacunatorio en Hospital El Salvador "no es Desmontaje", Según Ministro de Salud|trans-title=Closing the Vaccination Center at Hospital El Salvador "Is Not a Disassembly", According to the Minister of Health|language=es|date=1 September 2022|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Susana|last1=Joma|first2=Carlos|last2=López Vides|archive-date=2 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230402053147/https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/cerrar-vacunatorio-megacentro-no-es-desmontaje-segun-salud/993521/2022/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Most of El Salvador's COVID-19 vaccines were donated by the United States and China.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2EW272/|title=El Salvador to Receive 1 Million Vaccine Doses from China After Boosting Diplomatic Ties|language=en|date=26 July 2021|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Cassandra|last2=Garrison|editor1-first=Steve|editor1-last=Orlofsky|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401192543/https://www.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN2EW272/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3139703/china-and-us-go-dose-dose-covid-19-vaccine-donations-el|title=China and US Go Dose to Dose in COVID-19 Vaccine Donations to El Salvador|language=en|date=3 July 2021|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[South China Morning Post]]|first1=Laura|last1=Zhou|archive-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401192542/https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3139703/china-and-us-go-dose-dose-covid-19-vaccine-donations-el|url-status=live}}</ref> On 13 May 2021, Bukele donated 34,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to seven towns in Honduras after pleas from their mayors for vaccine doses.<ref name="EPexpans">{{cite web|url=https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-07-29/bukeles-expansionist-dreams-for-central-america.html|title=Bukele's Expansionist Dreams for Central America|language=en|date=29 July 2021|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Wilfredo|last1=Miranda|first2=Rob|last2=Train|archive-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401192545/https://english.elpais.com/usa/2021-07-29/bukeles-expansionist-dreams-for-central-america.html|url-status=live}}</ref> El Salvador had received 1.9 million doses at the time, and Honduras had only received 59,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-honduras-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-health-c20a2c9ab2571b2390daf5a7b3c4cfd9|title=El Salvador Donates Vaccine to Desperate Honduras Towns|language=en|date=13 May 2021|access-date=7 June 2021|work=[[Associated Press]]|first1=Marcos|last1=Alemán|first2=Marlon|last2=González|location=[[San Salvador]] and [[Tegucigalpa]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608030119/https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-honduras-coronavirus-pandemic-coronavirus-vaccine-health-c20a2c9ab2571b2390daf5a7b3c4cfd9|archive-date=8 June 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Gabriel Labrador, a journalist for ''El Faro'', told ''[[El País]]'' that Bukele made the donation to Honduras to improve his public image in [[Central America]].<ref name="EPexpans" />

=== Economy ===

==== Adoption of bitcoin<!--"bitcoin" should be lowercase, do not capitalize it--> ====

{{See also|Bitcoin in El Salvador}}

[[File:Cajero Bitcoin El Zonte, El Salvador.jpg|thumb|alt=A photograph of an orange Athena Bitcoin cryptocurrency ATM|An Athena Bitcoin ATM in El Zonte]]

[[File:Nayib Bukele and Fernando Romero.jpg|thumb|alt=Nayib Bukele and Fernando Romero viewing and standing over a model of the Bitcoin City airport terminal design|Bukele and Mexican architect [[Fernando Romero]] with a model of the planned [[Airport of the Pacific|Bitcoin City airport]]]]

Bukele announced at the Bitcoin 2021 conference on 5 June 2021 that he would introduce [[Bitcoin Law|a bill]] to the Legislative Assembly that would make [[bitcoin]] [[legal tender]], saying that it would "generate jobs" and promote "financial inclusion" in the short term.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvadors-president-says-will-send-bill-make-bitcoin-legal-tender-2021-06-05/|title=El Salvador's President Says Will Send Bill to Make Bitcoin Legal Tender|language=en|date=5 June 2021|access-date=7 June 2021|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Anthony|last1=Esposito|location=[[Mexico City]], Mexico|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606231444/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvadors-president-says-will-send-bill-make-bitcoin-legal-tender-2021-06-05/|archive-date=6 June 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> The Legislative Assembly approved the bill three days later.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57398274|title=Bitcoin: El Salvador Makes Cryptocurrency Legal Tender|language=en|date=9 June 2021|access-date=9 June 2021|work=[[BBC News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210623180912/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-57398274|archive-date=23 June 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Although the [[World Bank]] rejected a request from the Salvadoran government to assist it with the implementation of bitcoin as legal tender, citing concerns about transparency and the environmental effects of [[bitcoin mining]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57507386|title=World Bank Rejects El Salvador Request for Bitcoin Help|language=en|date=17 June 2021|access-date=21 June 2021|work=[[BBC News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210620133311/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-57507386|archive-date=20 June 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Athena Bitcoin announced that it would invest $1 million to install 1,500 bitcoin [[Automated teller machine|ATM]]s. This would allow users to exchange U.S. dollars for bitcoin and vice versa.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/bitcoin-become-legal-tender-el-salvador-sept-7-2021-06-25/|title=Bitcoin to Become Legal Tender in El Salvador on 7 September|language=en|date=24 June 2021|access-date=24 June 2021|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Anthony|last1=Esposito|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127172552/https://www.reuters.com/technology/bitcoin-become-legal-tender-el-salvador-sept-7-2021-06-25/|archive-date=27 January 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

Bitcoin became legal tender on 7 September 2021 in El Salvador,<ref name="EPbtc">{{cite web|url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-09-02/two-years-of-bitcoin-in-bukeles-el-salvador-an-opaque-experiment-with-a-little-used-currency.html|title=Two Years of Bitcoin in Bukele's El Salvador: An Opaque Experiment with a Little-Used Currency|language=en|date=2 September 2023|access-date=5 April 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Isabella|last1=Cota|location=[[Mexico City]], Mexico|archive-date=5 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405031051/https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-09-02/two-years-of-bitcoin-in-bukeles-el-salvador-an-opaque-experiment-with-a-little-used-currency.html|url-status=live}}</ref> the first country to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/bitcoin-comes-to-el-salvador-first-country-to-adopt-crypto-as-national-currency-11631005200|title=El Salvador Becomes First Country to Adopt Bitcoin as National Currency|language=en|date=7 September 2021|access-date=7 September 2021|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|first1=Santiago|last1=Pérez|first2=Caitlin|last2=Ostroff|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907233833/https://www.wsj.com/articles/bitcoin-comes-to-el-salvador-first-country-to-adopt-crypto-as-national-currency-11631005200|archive-date=7 September 2021|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> It became legal tender alongside the [[United States dollar]], which had been adopted in 2001 and replaced the [[Salvadoran colón]].<ref name="EPbtc" /> About 1,000 people marched in the streets of San Salvador to protest the country's adoption of bitcoin.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58459098|title=Bitcoin Crashes on First Day as El Salvador's Legal Tender|language=en|date=8 September 2021|access-date=8 September 2021|work=[[BBC News]]|first1=Katie|last1=Silver|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908082315/https://www.bbc.com/news/business-58459098|archive-date=8 September 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

The day before bitcoin became legal tender, Bukele announced that the Salvadoran government had bought its first 200 bitcoins.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/technology/el-salvador-buys-its-first-200-bitcoins-president-says-2021-09-06/|title=El Salvador Holds 400 Bitcoin, Price Jumps|language=en|date=6 September 2021|access-date=6 September 2021|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Shubham|last2=Kalia|editor1-first=Sandra|editor1-last=Maler|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210906210611/https://www.reuters.com/technology/el-salvador-buys-its-first-200-bitcoins-president-says-2021-09-06/|archive-date=6 September 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Economist [[Steve Hanke]] stated that El Salvador had "the most distressed sovereign debt in the world" due to its adoption of bitcoin,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2022/01/19/el-salvador-bitcoin-economy-distressed-debt/|title=El Salvador's Plan to Create the First Bitcoin-Powered Nation is Tanking the Economy—And Is a Mess by Every Measure|language=en|date=20 January 2022|access-date=22 November 2022|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|first1=Shawn|last1=Tully|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221122184252/https://fortune.com/2022/01/19/el-salvador-bitcoin-economy-distressed-debt/|archive-date=22 November 2022|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and other economists predicted that the country would likely [[Default (finance)|default on its debt]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-07/why-developing-countries-are-facing-a-debt-default-crisis|title=Historic Cascade of Defaults Is Coming for Emerging Markets|language=en|date=7 July 2022|access-date=19 July 2022|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|first1=Shawn|last1=Tully|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220816112421/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-07-07/why-developing-countries-are-facing-a-debt-default-crisis|archive-date=16 August 2022|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> As the price of bitcoin rose to $44,000 in December 2023, Bukele announced that El Salvador's investment into bitcoin had broken even.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67637245|title=Bitcoin Rally: Is El Salvador's Bitcoin Bet Paying Off?|language=en|date=6 December 2023|access-date=23 February 2024|work=[[BBC News]]|first1=Joe|last1=Tidy|first2=Cecilia|last2=Barría|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229061100/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-67637245|archive-date=29 February 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2024, he stated that El Salvador had made a 50-percent profit from bitcoin. Bukele mocked news-media outlets on Twitter, saying that there were "literally thousands of articles" about El Salvador's bitcoin losses and the same outlets were now "totally silent".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/bitcoin-el-salvador-holdings-value-b2506424.html|title='We Won't Sell': Bitcoin Holdings of El Salvador up 50%, President Reveals|language=en|date=4 March 2024|access-date=8 March 2024|work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|first1=Anthony|last1=Cuthbertson|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308073321/https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/bitcoin-el-salvador-holdings-value-b2506424.html|archive-date=8 March 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> By 19 January 2025, the Salvadoran government had 6,043 bitcoins worth $611.2 million.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lanoticiasv.com/el-salvador-tiene-6043-18-btc-equivalente-a-611219629-anuncio-bukele/|title=El Salvador Tiene 6,043.18 BTC, Equivalente a $611,219,629, Anunció Bukele|trans-title=El Salvador Has 6,043.18BTC, Equivalent to $611,219,629, Announced Bukele|language=es|date=19 January 2025|access-date=20 January 2025|work=La Noticia SV|first1=David|last1=Morales|location=El Salvador}}</ref>

In November 2021, Bukele announced that he planned to build [[Bitcoin City]] in the southeastern region of [[La Unión Department|La Unión]] at the base of the [[Conchagua (volcano)|Conchagua volcano]]. The city would use [[geothermal energy]] to power bitcoin mining.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59368483|title=El Salvador Bitcoin City Planned at Base of Conchagua Volcano|language=en|work=[[BBC News]]|date=21 November 2021|access-date=21 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121182834/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-59368483|archive-date=21 November 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> Ricardo Navarro, head of the Salvadoran Center of Appropriate Technology, criticized the plan, adding that it would result in an "environmental disaster".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2021/12/06/el-salvadors-plan-power-bitcoin-volcano-will-end-environmental/|title=El Salvador's Plan to Power Bitcoin by Volcano 'Will End in Environmental Disaster'|language=en|date=6 December 2021|access-date=5 April 2024|work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|first1=Simeon|last1=Tegel|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211206063912/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2021/12/06/el-salvadors-plan-power-bitcoin-volcano-will-end-environmental/|archive-date=6 December 2021|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Bukele published images of models of Bitcoin City and its [[Airport of the Pacific|planned airport]] on Twitter in May 2022, saying that the city would have "no income tax, zero property tax, no procurement tax, zero city tax, and zero CO2 emissions".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2022-05-11/el-salvador-reveals-plans-for-bitcoin-city-amid-fears-of-default.html|title=Bitcoin City: El Salvador Reveals Plans Amid Fears of Default|language=en|date=11 May 2022|access-date=5 April 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Luis Alberto|last1=Peralta|archive-date=17 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240217111528/https://english.elpais.com/international/2022-05-11/el-salvador-reveals-plans-for-bitcoin-city-amid-fears-of-default.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In December 2023, the Legislative Assembly passed a law that allowed individuals to purchase Salvadoran citizenship by donating bitcoins to El Salvador.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-offers-citizenship-foreign-bitcoin-investors-2023-12-21/|title=El Salvador Offers Citizenship to Foreign Bitcoin Investors|language=en|date=21 December 2023|access-date=5 April 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Gerardo|last1=Arbaiza|editor1-first=Adriana|editor1-last=Barrera|editor2-first=Leslie|editor2-last=Adler|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-date=21 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231221215219/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-offers-citizenship-foreign-bitcoin-investors-2023-12-21/|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 18 December 2024, the [[International Monetary Fund]] (IMF) agreed to give El Salvador a $1.4 billion dollar loan in exchange for the Salvadoran government making some concessions from the Bitcoin Law. Concessions included not requiring businesses to accept bitcoin as payment, not accepting bitcoin as tax payments, and reducing the number of bitcoins the government was purchasing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/world/americas/el-salvador-made-bitcoin-an-official-currency-now-its-backtracking-for-imf-loan-874c6623|title=El Salvador Made Bitcoin an Official Currency. Now It's Backtracking for IMF Loan|language=en|date=18 December 2024|access-date=19 December 2024|work=[[The Wall Street Journal]]|first1=Santiago|last1=Pérez|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The day after the loan was approved, [[Stacy Herbert]], the director of the National Bitcoin Office, stated that El Salvador would continue to buy bitcoins at an "accelerated rate" ("{{lang|es|ritmo acelerado}}")<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lanoticiasv.com/directora-de-la-oficina-nacional-del-bitcoin-afirma-que-el-salvador-seguira-siendo-el-pais-del-bitcoin-y-nuestra-estrategia-de-compra-se-mantendra/|title=Directora de la Oficina Nacional del Bitcoin Afirma que El Salvador Seguirá Siendo el País del Bitcoin y "Nuestra Estrategia de Compra se Mantendrá"|trans-title=Director of the National Bitcoin Office Affirms that El Salvador Will Continue Being the Country of Bitcoin and "Out Purchasing Strategy Will Be Maintained"|language=es|date=19 December 2024|access-date=20 December 2024|work=La Noticia SV|first1=Griselda|last1=López|location=El Salvador}}</ref> and the government purchased 11 bitcoins then worth over $1 million in total.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lanoticiasv.com/transfieren-mas-de-un-millon-de-dolares-en-bitcoin-a-reserva-de-el-salvador/|title=Transfieren Más de Un Millón de Dólares en Bitcoin a Reserva de El Salvador|trans-title=They Transfer More Than One Million Dollars in Bitcoin to El Salvador's Reserve|language=es|date=19 December 2024|access-date=20 December 2024|work=La Noticia SV|first1=Benjamín|last1=Beltrán|location=El Salvador}}</ref> On 29 January 2025, the Salvadoran government amended the Bitcoin Law to remove bitcoin's status as legal tender and currency but still allows its use as payment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2025/02/28/el-salvadors-bitcoin-law-changes-to-secure-imf-funding/|title=El Salvador's Bitcoin Law Changes To Secure IMF Funding|language=en|date=28 February 2025|access-date=6 March 2025|work=[[Forbes]]|first1=Javier|last1=Bastardo}}</ref>

In March 2025, ''[[The Economist]]'' wrote that El Salvador's bitcoin experiment had been a failure, bringing more costs than benefits to the El Salvador economy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2025/03/02/el-salvadors-wild-crypto-experiment-ends-in-failure|title=El Salvador's Wild Crypto Experiment Ends in Failure|language=en|date=2 March 2025|access-date=14 April 2025|work=[[The Economist]]|issn=0013-0613}}</ref>

==== Economic Plan ====

During Bukele's second inauguration, he stated that his second term would focus on improving the Salvadoran economy with "bitter medicine" ("{{lang|es|medicina amarga}}").<ref name="EFep">{{cite web|url=https://elfaro.net/es/202407/el_salvador/27501/bukele-deja-entrever-su-plan-economico-agromercados-y-parques-tecnologicos|title=Bukele Deja Entrever su Plan Económico: Agromercados y Parques Tecnológicos|trans-title=Bukele Gives a Glimpse of His Economic Plan: Agromarkets and Technology Parks|language=es|date=23 July 2024|access-date=2 August 2024|work=[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]|first1=Graciela|last1=Barrera|archive-date=1 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240801183015/https://elfaro.net/es/202407/el_salvador/27501/bukele-deja-entrever-su-plan-economico-agromercados-y-parques-tecnologicos|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvadors-bukele-starts-second-term-amid-economic-test-2024-06-01/|title=El Salvador's Bukele Starts Second Term, Promises "Medicine" to Cure the Economy|language=en|date=1 June 2024|access-date=22 July 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Lucinda|last2=Elliott|editor1-first=Diane|editor1-last=Craft|editor2-first=Richard|editor2-last=Chang|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> In July 2024, Bukele threatened to mass-arrest vendors, importers, and distributors who engaged in [[price gouging]].<ref name="EFep" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/bukele-salvador-crackdown-price-gouging-7e99374c444a81a4009ec09d94857d25|title=El Salvador's Bukele Threatens Gang-Crackdown-Style Tactics Against Price Gougers|language=en|date=7 July 2024|access-date=22 July 2024|work=[[Associated Press]]|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> Later that month, he announced the beginning of a six-phase Economic Plan ("{{lang|es|Plan Económico}}"). Phase one, known as "Feeding" ("{{lang|es|Alimentación}}"), involved the establishment of 30 food distribution centers and the removal of tariffs on certain agricultural imports for ten years.<ref name="EFep" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/economia/bukele-anuncia-centrales-de-abastos-la-primera-estara-en-exsitramss|title=Bukele Anuncia Centrales de Abastos, la Primera Estará en exSitramss|trans-title=Bukele Announces Supply Centers, the First Will Be in exSitramss|language=es|date=16 July 2024|access-date=18 July 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Yolanda|last1=Magaña}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/es/programas/econom%C3%ADa/20240717-bukele-anuncia-que-suspender%C3%A1-los-aranceles-a-alimentos-de-la-canasta-b%C3%A1sica-por-diez-a%C3%B1os|title=Bukele Anuncia que Suspenderá los Aranceles a Alimentos de la Canasta Básica por Diez Años|trans-title=Bukele Announces That He Will Suspend Tariffs on Food from the Basic Basket for Ten Years|language=es|date=17 July 2024|access-date=18 July 2024|work=[[France 24]]|first1=Juan Pablo|last1=Lucumí|archive-date=17 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240717184950/https://www.france24.com/es/programas/econom%C3%ADa/20240717-bukele-anuncia-que-suspender%C3%A1-los-aranceles-a-alimentos-de-la-canasta-b%C3%A1sica-por-diez-a%C3%B1os|url-status=live}}</ref> Phase two, known as "Technology" ("{{lang|es|Tecnología}}") involved the construction of [[data center]]s and [[technological park]]s in El Salvador. Bukele claimed that his Economic Plan would create 4,000 jobs.<ref name="EFep" /> Phase three, known as "Logistics" ("{{lang|es|Logística}}"), involved the investment of US$1.6 billion into modernizing the ports of [[Acajutla]] and [[La Unión, El Salvador|La Unión]] and the Turkish company Yılport Holdings operating the ports for 50 years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/economia/bukele-anuncia-inversion-de-1615-millones-para-modernizar-acajutla-y-activar-la-union|title=Bukele Anuncia Inversión de $1,615 Millones para Modernizar Acajutla y Activar La Unión|trans-title=Bukele Announces Investment of $1.615 Billion to Modernize Acajutla and Activate La Unión|language=es|date=11 August 2024|access-date=11 August 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Yelter|last1=Herrera|archive-date=12 August 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240812024927/https://diario.elmundo.sv/economia/bukele-anuncia-inversion-de-1615-millones-para-modernizar-acajutla-y-activar-la-union|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Nayib Bukele with Gisela Sánchez.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Nayib Bukele with Gisela Sánchez|Bukele with Gisela Sánchez, the president of the [[Central American Bank for Economic Integration]]]]

On 15 September 2024, Bukele stated that his 2025 government budget would not include "a single cent of debt for current spending" ("{{lang|es|solo centavo de deuda para gasto corriente}}") and that his government would not take out foreign loans to pay for the budget.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/economia/los-bonos-salvadorenos-suben-tras-promesa-de-bukele-de-no-incluir-deuda-en-presupuesto-2025|title=Los Bonos Salvadoreños Suben Tras Promesa de Bukele de no Incluir Deuda en Presupuesto 2025|trans-title=Salvadoran Bonds Rise After Bukele's Promise to Not Include Debt in the 2024 Budget|language=es|date=16 September 2024|access-date=18 September 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Uveli|last1=Alemán|archive-date=17 September 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240917200628/https://diario.elmundo.sv/economia/los-bonos-salvadorenos-suben-tras-promesa-de-bukele-de-no-incluir-deuda-en-presupuesto-2025|url-status=live}}</ref> On 16 October, El Salvador and [[J.P. Morgan & Co.]] agreed to restructure US$1.03 billion of the country's debt as a part of a [[debt-for-nature swap]], which Bukele described as "reaffirm[ing] this government's commitment to economic growth".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-10-16/jpmorgan-wraps-up-1-billion-debt-swap-deal-for-el-salvador/|title=JPMorgan Wraps Up $1 Billion Debt-Swap Deal for El Salvador|language=en|date=16 October 2024|access-date=16 October 2024|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|first1=Natasha|last1=White}}</ref> In the agreement, El Salvador would allocate US$352 million in savings towards conserving the environment around the [[Lempa River]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-closes-worlds-largest-debt-buyback-river-conservation-2024-10-17/|title=El Salvador Closes World's Largest Debt Buyback for River Conservation|language=en|date=17 October 2024|access-date=17 October 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Virginia|last1=Furness|editor1-first=Sharon|editor1-last=Singleton|editor2-first=Mark|editor2-last=Porter|location=[[London]], United Kingdom}}</ref> On three occasions in 2024, Bukele offered to buy back billions of dollars worth of [[Bond (finance)|government bonds]] due by 2034.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-11-12/el-salvador-to-buy-back-more-debt-as-bukele-banks-on-trump-lift|title=El Salvador to Buy Back More Debt as Bukele Banks on Trump Lift|language=en|date=12 November 2024|access-date=12 November 2024|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|first1=Maria Elena|last1=Vizcaino|first2=Zijia|last2=Song|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

In November 2024, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration announced that it would give the Salvadoran government $646 million to finance infrastructure projects. Bukele stated that the bank's support would help El Salvador's "economic takeoff" ("{{lang|es|despegue económico}}").<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/economia/bcie-otorgara-646-millones-en-2025-a-el-salvador-para-ejecutar-proyectos|title=BCIE Otorgará $646 Millones en 2025 a El Salvador para Ejecutar Proyectos|trans-title=CABEI Will Grant $646 Million to El Salvador in 2025 to Execute Projects|language=es|date=13 November 2024|access-date=13 November 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Yelter|last1=Herrera}}</ref> Later that month, Bukele wrote on X that he supported mining gold, describing it as "wealth that could transform El Salvador". He further described the country's metal mining ban as "absurd".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-bukele-gold-mining-308b8602c486c1ae6283d5bb82be2027|title=El Salvador President Proposes Ending Country's Metals Mining Ban|language=en|date=27 November 2024|access-date=1 December 2024|work=[[Associated Press]]|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> The Catholic Church, which supported the mining ban's implementation in 2017, called on Bukele to not repeal the ban citing environmental concerns.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-bukele-gold-mining-f08a61ea7e399b7ff22ffd2d1e047c01|title=Catholic Church Calls on President of El Salvador Not to Lift Ban on Gold Mining|language=en|date=1 December 2024|access-date=2 December 2024|work=[[Associated Press]]|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> The Legislative Assembly repealed the ban on 23 December 2024<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/ce1e23de-de49-4754-9111-e54d5a719403|title=El Salvador Lawmakers Overturn Mining Ban|language=en|date=23 December 2024|access-date=26 December 2024|work=[[Financial Times]]|first1=Thomas|last1=Graham|location=[[Mexico City]], Mexico|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and Bukele approved the law that same day.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Bukele-sanciona-ley-que-permite-la-mineria-metalica-en-El-Salvador-20250110-0065.html|title=Bukele Sanciona Ley que Permite la Minería Metálica en El Salvador|trans-title=Bukele Sanctions Law that Permits Metal Mining in El Salvador|language=es|date=10 January 2025|access-date=12 January 2025|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Ricardo|last1=Flores}}</ref>

=== Foreign policy ===

{{See also|List of international trips made by Nayib Bukele}}

Bukele stated in June 2019 that his government would no longer recognize [[Nicolás Maduro]] as the [[president of Venezuela]], instead recognizing [[Juan Guaidó]] as Venezuela's legitimate president during [[Venezuelan presidential crisis|Venezuela's presidential crisis]]. On 3 November of that year, he expelled Maduro-appointed Venezuelan diplomats from El Salvador.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50279917|title=Venezuela Crisis: El Salvador Expels Maduro's Diplomats|date=3 November 2019|access-date=7 June 2021|work=[[BBC News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191229131557/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-50279917|archive-date=29 December 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele considers Maduro to be a [[dictator]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elnacional.com/mundo/gobierno-maduro-pierde-otro-aliado-latinoamerica_269469/|title=El Gobierno de Maduro Pierde Otro Aliado en Latinoamérica|trans-title=The Government of Maduro Loses Another Ally in Latin America|language=es|date=5 February 2019|access-date=20 June 2021|work=[[El Nacional (Venezuela)|El Nacional]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926104604/https://www.elnacional.com/mundo/gobierno-maduro-pierde-otro-aliado-latinoamerica_269469/|archive-date=26 September 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele rejected the results of the [[2024 Venezuelan presidential election]] as a "fraud" ("{{lang|es|fraude}}") and stated that he would not restore relations with Venezuela unless there were "real elections" ("{{lang|es|elecciones de verdad}}").<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/bukele-senala-fraude-en-venezuela-y-dice-no-restablecera-relaciones-si-no-hay-elecciones-de-verdad|title=Bukele Señala Fraude en Venezuela y Dice no Restablecerá Relaciones Si No Hay "Elecciones de Verdad"|trans-title=Bukele Signals Fraud in Venezuela an Says He Will Not Reestablish Relations Unless There Are "Real Elections"|language=es|date=29 July 2024|access-date=30 July 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|archive-date=30 July 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240730011343/https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/bukele-senala-fraude-en-venezuela-y-dice-no-restablecera-relaciones-si-no-hay-elecciones-de-verdad|url-status=live}}</ref>

Bukele refused to recognize the presidency of [[Manuel Merino]] in Peru in November 2020, calling Merino's government "putschist" ("{{lang|es|golpista}}").<ref>{{cite web|url=https://larepublica.pe/mundo/2020/11/15/presidente-de-el-salvador-no-reconocemos-al-gobierno-golpista-de-merino/|title=President de El Salvador: "No Reconocemos al Gobierno Golpista de Merino"|trans-title=President of El Salvador: "We will not Recognize the Merino's Putschist Government"|language=es|date=15 November 2020|access-date=8 September 2022|work=[[La República (Peru)|La República]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201116013100/https://larepublica.pe/mundo/2020/11/15/presidente-de-el-salvador-no-reconocemos-al-gobierno-golpista-de-merino/|archive-date=16 November 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> He and the Legislative Assembly denounced the results of the [[2021 Nicaraguan general election]], that were seen by several governments as fraudulent.<ref name="FAL" /> El Salvador has abstained from resolutions critical of Nicaragua at the Organization of American States since 2022, with Bukele's government citing "[[Non-interventionism|non-interference]]" ("{{lang|es|no injerencia}}") as justification.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://infodemia.com.sv/no-es-cierto-que-el-salvador-evite-tener-injerencia-en-asuntos-de-otros-paises|title=No Es Cierto Que El Salvador Eevite "Tener Injerencia" en Asuntos de Otros Países|language=es|work=Infodemia|date=20 November 2023|access-date=8 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208113802/https://infodemia.com.sv/no-es-cierto-que-el-salvador-evite-tener-injerencia-en-asuntos-de-otros-paises|archive-date=8 February 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2024, El Salvador was the only country to abstain on an OAS resolution to condemn Ecuador for [[2024 raid on the Mexican embassy in Ecuador|raiding the Mexican embassy in Quito]] to arrest former Ecuadorian vice president [[Jorge Glas]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/El-Salvador-se-abstiene-de-condenar-intrusion-de-embajada-de-Mexico-por-parte-de-Ecuador-20240410-0031.html|title=El Salvador se Abstiene de Condenar Intrusión de Embajada de México por Parte de Ecuador|trans-title=El Salvador Abstains in Condemning the Intrusion in the Mexican Embassy by Ecuador|language=es|date=10 April 2024|access-date=10 April 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Denni|last1=Portillo|archive-date=13 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240413184511/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/El-Salvador-se-abstiene-de-condenar-intrusion-de-embajada-de-Mexico-por-parte-de-Ecuador-20240410-0031.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In February 2022, Bukele accused United States president [[Joe Biden]] of "[[The Boy Who Cried Wolf|crying wolf]]" about a [[Russian invasion of Ukraine]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elfaro.net/en/202203/el_salvador/0000026047-world-condemns-war-bukele-sees-bitcoin-opportunity?u=st-full_text=all&tpl=11&utm_source=farotext&utm_medium=initdocu&utm_campaign=text-0000026047_world-condemns-war-bukele-sees-bitcoin-opportunity|title=World Condemns War, Bukele Sees Bitcoin Opportunity|language=en|date=3 March 2022|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]|archive-date=3 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403000628/https://elfaro.net/en/202203/el_salvador/0000026047-world-condemns-war-bukele-sees-bitcoin-opportunity?u=st-full_text=all&tpl=11&utm_source=farotext&utm_medium=initdocu&utm_campaign=text-0000026047_world-condemns-war-bukele-sees-bitcoin-opportunity|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele did not comment on the invasion when it began later that month, posting instead on Twitter about bitcoin and bonds.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.as-coa.org/articles/latin-american-leaders-react-russias-invasion-ukraine|title=Latin American Leaders React to Russia's Invasion of Ukraine|language=en|date=11 April 2022|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Americas Society|AS/COA]]|first1=Chase|last1=Harrison|first2=Hope|last2=Wilkinson|archive-date=3 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403000628/https://www.as-coa.org/articles/latin-american-leaders-react-russias-invasion-ukraine|url-status=live}}</ref> Throughout 2022, El Salvador abstained from votes on United Nations resolutions condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/21/why-did-central-america-shift-un-votes-on-the-russia-ukraine-war|title=Why Did Central America Shift UN Votes on Russia–Ukraine War?|date=21 October 2022|access-date=8 February 2024|work=[[Al Jazeera English]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208184451/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/21/why-did-central-america-shift-un-votes-on-the-russia-ukraine-war|archive-date=8 February 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele condemned the [[7 October attacks]], describing [[Hamas]] as "savage beasts" who "do not represent the [[Palestinians]]", comparing the group to MS-13. He tweeted that "the best thing that could happen to the Palestinian people is for Hamas to completely disappear".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/bukele-llama-bestias-salvajes-a-grupo-terrorista-hamas-y-los-compara-con-la-ms-13|title=Bukele Llama "Bestias Salvajes" a Grupo Terrorista Hamás y los Compara con la MS-13|trans-title=Bukele Calls Terrorist Group Hamas "Savage Beasts" and Compares Them With MS-13|language=es|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|date=8 October 2023|access-date=2 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231009061516/https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/bukele-llama-bestias-salvajes-a-grupo-terrorista-hamas-y-los-compara-con-la-ms-13|archive-date=9 October 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

In March 2024, Bukele offered to send a mission to Haiti to "fix" the [[Gang war in Haiti|country's gang war]] with [[United Nations Security Council]] support.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.barrons.com/news/el-salvador-s-bukele-offers-to-fix-chaos-torn-haiti-7f11279a|title=El Salvador's Bukele Offers To 'Fix' Chaos-torn Haiti|language=en|date=10 March 2024|access-date=11 April 2024|work=[[Barron's]]|archive-date=23 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423150002/https://www.barrons.com/news/el-salvador-s-bukele-offers-to-fix-chaos-torn-haiti-7f11279a|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2024, El Salvador agreed to provide soldiers to conduct street patrols and aerial surveillance for the [[Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti]],<ref>{{cite news|url=https://haitiantimes.com/2024/10/07/elsalvador-joins-mission-to-combat-gangs-in-haiti/|title=Salvadoran Military Set to Bolster Haiti Security Mission|language=en|date=7 October 2024|access-date=8 October 2024|work=[[The Haitian Times]]|first1=Juhakenson|last1=Blaise|archive-date=7 October 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007215557/https://haitiantimes.com/2024/10/07/elsalvador-joins-mission-to-combat-gangs-in-haiti/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-haiti-troops-un-5800abff36267b125e3cb506175cbe6d|title=El Salvador's Congress Approves Sending Troop Contingent to Haiti|language=en|date=30 October 2024|access-date=6 November 2024|work=[[Associated Press]]|first1=Marcos|last1=Alemán|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> and the first Salvadoran soldiers arrived in [[Port-au-Prince]] on 3 January 2025.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/central-american-troops-arrive-haiti-fight-gangs-2025-01-03/|title=Central American Troops Arrive in Haiti to Fight Gangs|language=en|date=3 January 2025|access-date=3 January 2025|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Harold|last1=Isaac|first2=Sarah|last2=Morland|first3=Brendan|last3=O'Boyle|editor1-first=Leslie|editor1-last=Adler|editor2-first=Matthew|editor2-last=Lewis|location=[[Port-au-Prince]], Haiti}}</ref>

==== Relations with the United States ====

{{See also|El Salvador–United States relations}}

[[File:Secretary Rubio Meets with El Salvador President (54304902427).jpg|thumb|alt=Nayib Bukele and Marco Rubio talking on a balcony overssing Lake Coatepeque|Bukele and U.S. Secretary of State [[Marco Rubio]] in February 2025]]

During Bukele's September 2019 meeting with Trump, Bukele called on Trump to promote legal migration in an effort to combat [[Illegal immigration to the United States|illegal immigration]] and to maintain the United States' [[temporary protected status]] (TPS) policy for [[Salvadorans]] living in the United States.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-elsalvador-migration-un-idUSKBN1WB2UM|title=El Salvador President Calls on Trump to Keep Protected Status Program for Migrants|language=en|date=26 September 2019|access-date=7 June 2021|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Luc|last1=Cohen|editor1-first=Jonathan|editor1-last=Oatis|location=[[New York City]], United States|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608015814/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-elsalvador-migration-un-idUSKBN1WB2UM|archive-date=8 June 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> The following month, Bukele confirmed that the United States would continue TPS for Salvadorans.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diariolahuella.com/presidente-nayib-bukele-confirma-que-continua-en-vigencia-el-tps-para-salvadorenos-en-eeuu/|title=Presidente Nayib Bukele Confirma que Continúa en Vigencia el TPS para Salvadoreños en EEUU|trans-title=President Nayib Bukele Confirms that the TPS for Salvadorans in the United States Remains in Force|language=es|date=28 October 2019|access-date=7 June 2021|work=Diario la Huella|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203170714/https://diariolahuella.com/presidente-nayib-bukele-confirma-que-continua-en-vigencia-el-tps-para-salvadorenos-en-eeuu/|archive-date=3 December 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2021, Biden refused to meet Bukele when he arrived unannounced in Washington, D.C. to meet him.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/biden-officials-turn-down-unannounced-visit-el-salvador-pres-nayib-n1257160|title=Biden Officials Turn Down Unannounced Visit with El Salvador Pres. Nayib Bukele|language=en|date=9 February 2021|access-date=8 September 2022|work=[[NBC News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220909030252/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/biden-officials-turn-down-unannounced-visit-el-salvador-pres-nayib-n1257160|archive-date=9 September 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele did not attend the [[9th Summit of the Americas]] in June 2022 due to frustration with the U.S. government's allegations of corruption and human rights abuses by his government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-nayib-bukele-el-salvador-central-america-b37f3cbf070fc1df38051dfc4a65a9ff|title=Salvadoran Leader Rebuffs Blinken Effort to Bolster Summit|language=en|work=[[Associated Press]]|date=9 June 2022|access-date=10 August 2022|first1=Chris|last1=Megerian|first2=Joshua|last2=Goodman|location=[[Los Angeles]], California|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220811051535/https://apnews.com/article/biden-politics-nayib-bukele-el-salvador-central-america-b37f3cbf070fc1df38051dfc4a65a9ff|archive-date=11 August 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] members have been critical of Bukele's government, and members of the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] have supported him and his policies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elfaro.net/en/202209/el_salvador/26376/State-of-Exception-Confirms-Divide-between-US-Dems-and-GOP-over-Bukele.htm|title=State of Exception Confirms Divide Between US Dems and GOP Over Bukele|language=en|date=14 September 2022|access-date=10 April 2024|work=[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]|first1=José Luis|last1=Sanz|first2=Roman|last2=Gressier|archive-date=9 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240409200019/https://elfaro.net/en/202209/el_salvador/26376/State-of-Exception-Confirms-Divide-between-US-Dems-and-GOP-over-Bukele.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele and [[Norma Torres]], a member of the U.S. Congress representing [[California's 35th congressional district]], engaged in an April 2021 argument on Twitter about illegal immigration at the United States' southern border.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2021/04/02/983913552/tweet-for-tweet-el-salvadors-president-and-u-s-congresswoman-spar-over-migrants|title=Tweet For Tweet: El Salvador's President And U.S. Congresswoman Spar Over Migrants|date=2 April 2021|access-date=10 November 2022|work=[[NPR]]|language=en|first1=Carrie|last1=Kahn|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111061319/https://www.npr.org/2021/04/02/983913552/tweet-for-tweet-el-salvadors-president-and-u-s-congresswoman-spar-over-migrants|archive-date=11 November 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/555981-house-democrat-says-she-sleeps-with-gun-nearby-after-clashing-with-el/|title=House Democrat Says She Sleeps with Gun Nearby After Clashing with El Salvador's President|language=en|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|date=28 May 2021|access-date=10 November 2022|first1=Morgan|last1=Gstalter|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221111061316/https://thehill.com/homenews/house/555981-house-democrat-says-she-sleeps-with-gun-nearby-after-clashing-with-el/|archive-date=11 November 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Torres accused Bukele in November 2022 of interfering in that month's [[2022 United States House of Representatives elections in California#District 35|35th congressional district election]] by endorsing Republican challenger Mike Cargile.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/espanol/california/articulo/2022-11-10/la-congresista-californiana-norma-torres-acusa-al-presidente-de-el-salvador-de-interferencia-electoral|title=La Congresista Californiana, Norma Torres, Acusa al Presidente de El Salvador de Interferencia Electoral|trans-title=California Congresswoman, Norma Torres, Accuses the President of El Salvador of Electoral Interference|language=es|date=10 November 2022|access-date=10 November 2022|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first1=Soudi|last1=Jiménez|location=[[Los Angeles]], United States|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110141239/https://www.latimes.com/espanol/california/articulo/2022-11-10/la-congresista-californiana-norma-torres-acusa-al-presidente-de-el-salvador-de-interferencia-electoral|archive-date=10 November 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2024, fourteen Democratic members of Congress sent a letter to Biden about Bukele's "authoritarian" actions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4441292-democratic-lawmakers-urge-biden-address-authoritarian-actions-salvadoran-president/|title=Democratic Lawmakers Urge Biden Administration to Address 'Authoritarian' Actions by Salvadoran President|language=en|date=31 January 2024|access-date=10 April 2024|work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]|first1=Tara|last1=Suter|archive-date=6 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240206052707/https://thehill.com/homenews/house/4441292-democratic-lawmakers-urge-biden-address-authoritarian-actions-salvadoran-president/|url-status=live}}</ref> Meanwhile, Republican congressmen such as [[Tom Cotton]], [[Matt Gaetz]], and [[Marco Rubio]] have praised Bukele's policies on crime.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/nayib-bukeles-authoritarian-appeal|title=Nayib Bukele's Authoritarian Appeal|language=en|date=5 April 2024|access-date=10 April 2024|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|first1=Danielle|last1=Mackey|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240406013617/https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/nayib-bukeles-authoritarian-appeal|archive-date=6 April 2024|url-status=live|url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/14/politics/matt-gaetz-attorney-general-el-salvador-prison-bukele/index.html|title=Matt Gaetz Would Oversee US Prisons as AG. He Thinks El Salvador's Hardline Lockups are a Model|language=en|date=14 November 2024|access-date=14 November 2024|work=[[CNN]]|first1=David|last1=Culver|first2=Rachel|last2=Clarke|archive-date=15 November 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241115105622/https://www.cnn.com/2024/11/14/politics/matt-gaetz-attorney-general-el-salvador-prison-bukele/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[Second presidency of Donald Trump|second Trump administration]] considers Bukele to be an important ally in mitigating immigration to the U.S. from Central America.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/rubio-meet-el-salvadors-bukele-amid-migration-push-2025-02-03/|title=Rubio to Meet El Salvador's Bukele Amid Migration Push|language=en|date=3 February 2025|access-date=3 February 2025|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Simon|last1=Lewis|editor1-first=Rosalba|editor1-last=O'Brien|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> In February 2025, Bukele offered Secretary of State Rubio to accept non-Salvadoran [[Mass deportation of illegal immigrants in the second presidency of Donald Trump|deportees from the United States]], including convicted American prisoners "of U.S. citizenship and legal residents".<ref name="Hudson" /> Rubio described the offer as the "most unprecedented and extraordinary migratory agreement anywhere in the world".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/migration-rubio-panama-colombia-venezuela-237f06b7d4bdd9ff1396baf9c45a2c0b|title=Rubio Says El Salvador Offers to Accept Deportees from U.S. of Any Nationality, Including Americans|language=en|date=3 February 2025|access-date=3 February 2025|work=[[Associated Press]]|first1=Matthew|last1=Lee|first2=Juan|last2=Zamorano|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/03/americas/el-salvador-migrant-deal-marco-rubio-intl-hnk/index.html|title=El Salvador Offers to House Violent U.S. Criminals and Deportees of Any Nationality in Unprecedented Deal|language=en|date=3 February 2025|access-date=3 February 2025|work=[[CNN]]|first1=Stefano|last1=Pozzebon|first2=Jessie|last2=Yeung|first3=Marlon|last3=Sorto}}</ref> Bukele stated that these "dangerous American criminals" would be incarcerated in CECOT.<ref name="Hudson">{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/02/03/rubio-el-salvador-jail-bukele/|title=El Salvador Offers to Jail 'American Criminals,' Including U.S. Citizens|language=en|date=3 February 2025|access-date=4 February 2025|work=[[The Washington Post]]|first1=John|last1=Hudson|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> In March 2025, the United States [[March 2025 Venezuelan deportations|deported 238 alleged members]] of the Venezuelan gang [[Tren de Aragua]] to El Salvador.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Renteria|first1=Nelson|last2=O'Boyle|first2=Brendan|last3=Cortes|first3=Raul|date=20 March 2025|location=[[San Salvador]] and [[Mexico City]]|editor1-last=Maler|editor1-first=Sandra|editor2-last=Osterman|editor2-first=Cynthia|title=Explainer: What is El Salvador's Mega-Prison Holding Venezuelans Deported from the US?|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/what-is-el-salvadors-mega-prison-that-could-take-us-criminals-2025-02-04/|access-date=21 March 2025|work=[[Reuters]]|language=en}}</ref> Bukele met Trump in the [[Oval Office]] in April 2025 where they discussed immigration. Both Trump and Bukele stated they could not unilaterally release [[Deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia|Kilmar Abrego Garcia]], a migrant deported due to an administrative error.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-meeting-trump-white-house/|title=El Salvador's President Bukele Says He Won't Return Kilmar Abrego Garcia to U.S.|language=en|date=14 April 2025|access-date=18 April 2025|work=[[CBS News]]|first1=Kathryn|last1=Watson}}</ref>

==== Relations with China ====

{{See also|China–El Salvador relations}}

[[File:Colocacion de la Primera Piedra, Estadio Nacional El Salvador en 30 Noviembre 2023 - 14.jpg|thumb|alt=Nayib Bukele and standing at a podium in front of Chinese and Salvadoran flags with a construction crew in the background|Bukele with Chinese ambassador Zhang Yanhui at the beginning of construction of the [[Estadio Nacional de El Salvador|National Stadium of El Salvador]] in November 2023]]

In 2018, El Salvador cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognized the People's Republic of China as China's legitimate government. This led to Bukele and the United States accusing China of interfering in Salvadoran and Latin American politics. Despite Bukele's criticism of China before becoming president, Vice President Félix Ulloa stated in May 2019 that Bukele's government would not restore diplomatic relations with Taiwan.<ref name="china">{{cite web|url=https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3830233|title=Former Taiwan Ally El Salvador Signs 'Gigantic' Infrastructure Deal with China|language=en|date=4 December 2019|access-date=13 November 2021|work=[[Taiwan News]]|first1=Keoni|last1=Everington|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113222131/https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3830233|archive-date=13 November 2021|url-status=dead}}</ref> In December 2019, Bukele met Chinese president [[Xi Jinping]] in [[Beijing]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-50666592|title=Bukele Visita China: El Histórico Acercamiento de El Salvador a Pekín y la "Gigantesca Cooperación" que Recibe a Cambio|trans-title=Bukele Visits China: El Salvador's Historic Approach to Beijing and the "Gigantic Cooperation" He Receives in Return|language=es|date=4 December 2019|access-date=6 May 2022|work=[[BBC Mundo]]|first1=Ángel|last1=Bermúdez|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220309172048/https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-50666592|archive-date=9 March 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> and signed a "gigantic" infrastructure agreement with China for an unknown amount of money.<ref name="china" /> El Salvador and China have cooperated on infrastructure projects in El Salvador such as the [[National Library of El Salvador]] (completed in November 2023)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/es/minuto-a-minuto/20231115-el-salvador-inaugura-una-moderna-biblioteca-con-cooperaci%C3%B3n-de-china|title=El Salvador Inaugura una Moderna Biblioteca con Cooperación de China|trans-title=El Salvador Inaugurates a Modern Library in Cooperation with China|language=es|date=15 November 2023|access-date=10 April 2024|work=[[France 24]]|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-date=15 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115114353/http://www.france24.com/es/minuto-a-minuto/20231115-el-salvador-inaugura-una-moderna-biblioteca-con-cooperaci%C3%B3n-de-china|url-status=live}}</ref> and the [[Estadio Nacional de El Salvador|National Stadium of El Salvador]] (construction began in November 2023).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/deportes/Inicia-la-construccion-para-el-nuevo-estadio-nacional-de-El-Salvador-20231130-0076.html|title=Inicia la Construcción para el Nuevo Estadio Nacional de El Salvador|trans-title=Construction Begins on the New National Stadium of El Salvador|language=es|date=30 November 2024|access-date=10 April 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|archive-date=4 December 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204143255/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/deportes/Inicia-la-construccion-para-el-nuevo-estadio-nacional-de-El-Salvador-20231130-0076.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

In November 2022, Bukele announced that El Salvador and China had begun negotiations for a [[free trade]] agreement between the countries. China donated fertilizer and wheat flour to El Salvador and, according to a Salvadoran government official,<!--source does not specify who--> offered to buy El Salvador's external bond debt. Bukele stated that a free trade agreement with China was "very important" because El Salvador had been "isolated from [the] potential" of China's economic strength.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-el-salvador-begin-free-trade-talks-2022-11-09/|title=China and El Salvador to Begin Free Trade Talks|language=en|date=9 November 2022|access-date=9 November 2022|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Kylie|last2=Madry|editor1-first=Isabel|editor1-last=Woodford|editor2-first=Lincoln|editor2-last=Feast|editor3-first=Chris|editor3-last=Reese|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110022706/https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/china-el-salvador-begin-free-trade-talks-2022-11-09/|archive-date=10 November 2022|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Alleged governmental corruption ===

{{See also|Corruption in El Salvador}}

Twenty of Bukele's governmental institutions were investigated by the office of the attorney general in November 2020 for corruption related to the COVID-19 pandemic,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://elfaro.net/es/202011/el_salvador/24986/Fiscal%C3%ADa-arranca-investigaci%C3%B3n-contra-el-Gobierno-Bukele-por-los-contratos-irregulares-de-la-pandemia.htm|title=Fiscalía Arranca Investigación Contra el Gobierno Bukele por los Contratos Irregulares de la Pandemia|trans-title=Attorney General Launches Investigation Against Bukele's Government for Pandemic Contract Irregularities|language=es|date=10 November 2020|access-date=2 February 2021|work=[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]|first=Gabriela|last=Cáceres|archive-date=16 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210516202112/https://elfaro.net/es/202011/el_salvador/24986/Fiscal%C3%ADa-arranca-investigaci%C3%B3n-contra-el-Gobierno-Bukele-por-los-contratos-irregulares-de-la-pandemia.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> but the investigations were halted after the attorney general was removed by the Legislative Assembly on 1 May 2021.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://insightcrime.org/news/ousting-el-salvador-top-prosecutor-imperils-rule-of-law/|title=Ousting of El Salvador's Top Prosecutor Imperils Rule of Law|language=en|date=3 May 2021|access-date=5 April 2024|work=[[InSight Crime]]|first1=Alex|last1=Papadovassilakis|first2=Seth|last2=Robbins|archive-date=14 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240314022042/https://insightcrime.org/news/ousting-el-salvador-top-prosecutor-imperils-rule-of-law/|url-status=live}}</ref> The United States has placed sanctions on several of Bukele's government officials, labeling them as corrupt. The officials include Javier Argueta (presidential advisor), Osiris Luna Meza (general director of penal centers), Carlos Marroquín Chica (chairman of the Social Fabric Reconstruction Unit), Martha Carolina Recinos (chief of the cabinet), Rogelio Rivas (former minister of justice), Ernesto Sanabria (press secretary), and [[Alejandro Zelaya]] (former minister of finance).<ref name="WOLAengel">{{cite web|url=https://www.wola.org/analysis/engel-list-what-is-the-united-states-telling-central-america/#:~:text=The%20list%20just%20released%20by,of%20the%20presidency%27s%20legal%20secretariat.|title=Engel List: What is the United States Telling Central America?|language=en|date=21 July 2022|access-date=5 April 2024|work=[[Washington Office on Latin America]]|first1=Ana María|last1=Méndez Dardón|archive-date=5 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405221904/https://www.wola.org/analysis/engel-list-what-is-the-united-states-telling-central-america/#:~:text=The%20list%20just%20released%20by,of%20the%20presidency%27s%20legal%20secretariat.|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="absurd">{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-imposes-sanctions-foreign-officials-corruption-including-alleged-graft-covid-2021-12-09/|title=U.S. Slaps Sanctions on Foreign Officials for Alleged Corruption, El Salvador Bristles|language=en|date=9 December 2021|access-date=5 April 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Simon|last1=Lewis|first2=Nelson|last2=Renteria|editor1-first=Dan|editor1-last=Grebler|editor2-first=Peter|editor2-last=Cooney|location=[[Washington, D.C.]] and [[San Salvador]]|archive-date=22 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322045543/https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-imposes-sanctions-foreign-officials-corruption-including-alleged-graft-covid-2021-12-09/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-names-bukele-aide-el-salvador-corruption-list-2021-05-18/|title=U.S. names El Salvador President's Aide on "Corrupt Officials" List|language=en|date=17 May 2021|access-date=8 June 2021|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Ted|last2=Hesson|first3=Frank Jack|last3=Daniel|first4=Daina Beth|last4=Solomon|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608190807/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-names-bukele-aide-el-salvador-corruption-list-2021-05-18/|archive-date=8 June 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> The U.S. also considered some of Bukele's Legislative Assembly allies corrupt, including [[Guillermo Gallegos]] and Christian Guevara.<ref name="WOLAengel" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/latin-america-el-salvador-1d089ae377a6d8ef401fd898081a14ce#:~:text=MIAMI%20(AP)%20—%20Allies%20of,obtained%20by%20The%20Associated%20Press.|title=US Report: Allies of El Salvador's President Deemed Corrupt|language=en|date=18 May 2021|access-date=8 June 2021|work=[[Associated Press]]|first1=Joshua|last1=Goodman|location=[[Miami]], United States|archive-date=9 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210609111321/https://apnews.com/article/latin-america-el-salvador-1d089ae377a6d8ef401fd898081a14ce#:~:text=MIAMI%20(AP)%20—%20Allies%20of,obtained%20by%20The%20Associated%20Press.|url-status=live}}</ref> Some of the individuals are included on the U.S. State Department's "Engel List" of Central American politicians and judges considered "corrupt and undemocratic".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/dozens-central-american-officials-added-us-corruption-blacklist-2022-07-20/|title=Dozens of Central American Officials Added to U.S. Corruption Blacklist|language=en|date=21 July 2022|access-date=5 April 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Matt|last1=Spetalnick|first2=Gustavo|last2=Palencia|first3=Nelson|last3=Renteria|first4=Kylie|last4=Madry|editor1-first=Alistair|editor1-last=Bell|editor2-first=Matthew|editor2-last=Lewis|location=[[Washington, D.C.]], [[Tegucigalpa]], and [[San Salvador]]|archive-date=3 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103034821/https://www.reuters.com/world/dozens-central-american-officials-added-us-corruption-blacklist-2022-07-20/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele called the sanctions and labels "absurd".<ref name="absurd" /> In May 2021, the United States diverted El Salvador funding from government institutions to civil society groups to combat perceived corruption in Bukele's government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-el-salvador-health-coronavirus-pandemic-2f561b49e3fab03fb776b132180a7565|title=US Steers El Salvador Funding Away from Government|date=21 May 2021|access-date=8 June 2021|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Marcos|last1=Alemán|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210608190807/https://apnews.com/article/us-supreme-court-el-salvador-health-coronavirus-pandemic-2f561b49e3fab03fb776b132180a7565|archive-date=8 June 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 11 November 2021, Bukele introduced the "Foreign Agents Law" to the Legislative Assembly with the goal of "prohibiting foreign interference" in Salvadoran political affairs.<ref name="FAL">{{cite web|url=https://elpais.com/internacional/2021-11-11/bukele-emula-una-de-las-leyes-represivas-de-ortega-para-acallar-la-critica-en-el-salvador.html|title=Bukele Presenta una Ley para Acallar las Voces Críticas en El Salvador|trans-title=Bukele Presents a Law to Silence Critical Voices in El Salvador|date=11 November 2021|access-date=12 November 2021|work=[[El País]]|first=Wilfredo|last=Miranda|archive-date=11 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111220816/https://elpais.com/internacional/2021-11-11/bukele-emula-una-de-las-leyes-represivas-de-ortega-para-acallar-la-critica-en-el-salvador.html|url-status=live}}</ref> According to Minister of the Interior [[Juan Carlos Bidegain Hananía|Juan Carlos Bidegain]], the law was meant to "guarantee the security, national sovereignty and social and political stability of the country".<ref name="FAL" /> Although Bukele stated that the law was modeled on the United States' [[Foreign Agents Registration Act]] (FARA), critics have compared it to Nicaraguan laws that institute [[Censorship|press censorship]] by shutting down organizations and arresting journalists.<ref name="FAL" /> [[Human Rights Watch]] reported on 16 December 2021 that 91 Twitter accounts belonging to journalists, lawyers, and activists were blocked by Bukele and governmental institutions.<ref name="blocked">{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/12/16/el-salvador-critics-blocked-social-media|title=El Salvador: Critics Blocked on Social Media|publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]]|date=16 December 2021|access-date=16 December 2021|language=en|archive-date=10 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110151228/https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/12/16/el-salvador-critics-blocked-social-media|url-status=live}}</ref> In October 2024, when investigative journalists published a report that found that Bukele, his three brothers, wife, and mother had purchased 34 properties valued at US$9 million during Bukele's first presidential term, Bukele referred to the journalists as "imbeciles" and denied accusations of corruption.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-10-14/bukele-clan-fumes-over-investigation-exposing-their-new-wealth.html|title=Bukele Clan Fumes Over Investigation Exposing Their New Wealth|language=en|date=14 October 2024|access-date=15 October 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Bryan|last1=Avelar|archive-date=17 November 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241117183353/https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-10-14/bukele-clan-fumes-over-investigation-exposing-their-new-wealth.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Anti-corruption campaigns ===

Bukele established the {{ill|International Commission Against Impunity in El Salvador|es|Comisión Internacional Contra la Impunidad en El Salvador}} (CICIES) in September 2019, an [[anti-corruption]] commission to combat drug trafficking, corruption, and [[white-collar crime]]s. CICIES was operated by the Salvadoran government and the [[Organization of American States]] (OAS), and cooperated with the National Civil Police to form an anti-corruption unit.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Como-funcionara-la-CICIES-20190907-0222.html|title=¿Cómo Funcionará la CICIES?|trans-title=How Will CICIES Function?|language=es|date=7 September 2019|access-date=4 September 2023|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926104604/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Como-funcionara-la-CICIES-20190907-0222.html|archive-date=26 September 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele dissolved CICIES in June 2021 after the OAS named [[Ernesto Muyshondt]] an anti-corruption advisor;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/salvadoran-attorney-general-ends-anti-corruption-accord-with-oas-2021-06-04/|title=El Salvador Ends Anti-Corruption Accord with OAS, Dismaying U.S.|language=en|date=5 June 2021|access-date=28 November 2023|work=[[Reuters]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927135430/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/salvadoran-attorney-general-ends-anti-corruption-accord-with-oas-2021-06-04/|archive-date=27 September 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Ernesto Muyshondt was accused by the Salvadoran government of electoral fraud and illegal negotiation with gang members to vote for ARENA during the [[2014 Salvadoran presidential election|2014 presidential election]]. He was arrested<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lapagina.com.sv/nacionales/pnc-captura-al-ernesto-muyshondt-por-apropiacion-indebida-de-retenciones-en-perjuicio-de-la-hacienda-publica/|title=PNC Captura al Ernesto Muyshondt por Apropiación Indebida de Retenciones en Perjuicio de la Hacienda Pública|trans-title=PNC Captures Ernesto Muyshondt for Misappropriation of Retentions to the Detriment of the Public Finance|language=es|date=4 June 2021|access-date=4 June 2021|work=La Página|first1=Julio|last1=Villarán|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230215224823/https://lapagina.com.sv/nacionales/arresto-para-muyshondt-por-apropiarse-de-cuotas-laborales-cuando-fue-alcalde-de-san-salvador/|archive-date=15 February 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> and was scheduled to go on trial in April 2024, despite concerns about his health.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Ernesto-Muyshondt-enfrentara-juicio-en-abril-pero-todavia-siguen-sin-noticias-sobre-su-estado-de-salud-20240311-0075.html|title=Ernesto Muyshondt Enfrentará Juicio en Abril, pero Todavía Siguen sin Noticias Sobre su Estado de Salud|trans-title=Ernesto Muyshondt Will Face Justice in April, But There is Still No News Regarding the State of His Health|language=es|date=11 March 2024|access-date=5 April 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Javier|last1=Urbina|archive-date=23 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240423150038/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Ernesto-Muyshondt-enfrentara-juicio-en-abril-pero-todavia-siguen-sin-noticias-sobre-su-estado-de-salud-20240311-0075.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 1 June 2023, during a speech celebrating his fourth year in office, Bukele stated that his government would begin a "war against corruption" ("{{lang|es|guerra contra la corrupción}}").<ref name="EPwac">{{cite web|url=https://elpais.com/internacional/2023-06-02/bukele-anuncia-una-nueva-guerra-contra-los-corruptos-y-la-creacion-de-otra-carcel-en-el-salvador.html|title=Bukele Anuncia Una Nueva "Guerra" Contra los Corruptos y la Creación de Otra Cárcel en El Salvador|trans-title=Bukele Announces a New "War" Against Corrupt Individuals and the Creating of Another Prison in El Salvador|language=es|date=2 June 2023|access-date=4 September 2023|work=[[El País]]|first1=Bryan|last1=Avelar|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810233955/https://elpais.com/internacional/2023-06-02/bukele-anuncia-una-nueva-guerra-contra-los-corruptos-y-la-creacion-de-otra-carcel-en-el-salvador.html|archive-date=10 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> He announced that he would build a prison for individuals convicted of white-collar crimes that would be similar to the Terrorism Confinement Center.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-president-pledges-white-collar-prison-war-corruption-2023-06-02/|title=El Salvador President Pledges White-Collar Prison in 'War' on Corruption|language=en|date=1 June 2023|access-date=1 June 2023|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Lizbeth|last2=Diaz|first3=Sarah|last3=Morland|editor1-first=Jacqueline|editor1-last=Wong|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602045027/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-president-pledges-white-collar-prison-war-corruption-2023-06-02/|archive-date=2 June 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele stated that the police and military would arrest white-collar criminals like they capture gang members in the gang crackdown.<ref name="EPwac" /> He added that Attorney General [[Rodolfo Delgado (lawyer)|Rodolfo Delgado]] was in the process of raiding and confiscating assets worth up to $68 million from former Salvadoran president [[Alfredo Cristiani]] as part of the anti-corruption campaign.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Incautan-un-helicoptero-del-expresidente-Alfredo-Cristiani-valorado-en-1.3-millones-20230609-0039.html|title=Valor de Incautaciones al ex Presidente Cristiani Asciende a $68 Millones, Según Fiscalía |trans-title=Value of Seizures from Ex-President Cristiani Rises to $68 Million, According to Attorney General|language=es|date=9 June 2023|access-date=4 September 2023|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Williams|last1=Sandoval|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230610010341/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Incautan-un-helicoptero-del-expresidente-Alfredo-Cristiani-valorado-en-1.3-millones-20230609-0039.html|archive-date=10 June 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Others charged during Bukele's war on corruption include deputies Erick García,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Capturan-al-diputado-Erick-Garcia-tras-ser-desaforado-por-la-Asamblea-Legislativa-20230817-0018.html|title=Capturan al Diputado Erick García Tras ser Desaforado por la Asamblea Legislativa|trans-title=They Capture Deputy Erick García After Being Expelled by the Legislative Assembly|language=es|date=17 August 2023|access-date=17 August 2023|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Ronald|last1=Erazo|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231022014843/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Capturan-al-diputado-Erick-Garcia-tras-ser-desaforado-por-la-Asamblea-Legislativa-20230817-0018.html|archive-date=22 October 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Lorena Peña]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/lorena-pena-afirma-demanda-enriquecimiento-ilicito-no-tiene-sustento/1085411/2023/|title=Lorena Peña: "No me he Enriquecido, ni de Manera Ilícita ni de Manera Lícita"|trans-title=Lorena Peña: "I Have Not Enriched Myself, Neither Through an Illicit Manner or a Licit Manner"|language=es|date=25 August 2023|access-date=4 September 2023 |work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Juan Carlos|last1=Mejía|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904025125/https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/lorena-pena-afirma-demanda-enriquecimiento-ilicito-no-tiene-sustento/1085411/2023/|archive-date=4 September 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Alberto Armando Romero Rodríguez|Alberto Romero]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/asamblea-quitara-fuero-a-diputado-alberto-romero/1087118/2023/|title=Asamblea Quitó el Fuero al Diputado Alberto Romero|trans-title=Assembly Removes the Jurisdiction from Deputy Alberto Romero|language=es|date=1 September 2023|access-date=4 September 2023|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Susana|last1=Peñate|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230903190859/https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/asamblea-quitara-fuero-a-diputado-alberto-romero/1087118/2023/|archive-date=3 September 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> and national security advisor [[Alejandro Muyshondt]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/alejandro-muyshondt-continiara-prision-extorsion/1085494/2023/|title=Alejandro Muyshondt Continuará en Prisión Acusado de Extorsión|trans-title=Alejandro Muyshondt Will Continue in Prison Accused of Extortion|language=es|date=25 August 2023|access-date=4 September 2023|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Abigail|last1=Parada|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230904193621/https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/alejandro-muyshondt-continiara-prision-extorsion/1085494/2023/|archive-date=4 September 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2022, the last full year before the war against corruption was announced, [[Transparency International]]'s [[Corruption Perceptions Index]] gave El Salvador a score of 33 out of 100 and ranked it 116th out of 180 countries.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022/index/slv|title=Corruption Perceptions Index 2022 – El Salvador|language=en|date=2023|access-date=4 September 2023|work=[[Transparency International]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230716224136/https://www.transparency.org/en/cpi/2022/index/slv|archive-date=16 July 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> According to a February 2023 CID-Gallup opinion poll, only four percent of Salvadorans considered corruption the country's most pressing issue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/cid-gallup-salvadorenos-perciben-menor-corrupcion-que-otros-paises|title=Cid Gallup: Salvadoreños Perciben Menor Corrupción que Otros Países|trans-title=Cid Gallup: Salvadoran Perceive Less Corruption to Other Countries|language=es|date=23 February 2023|access-date=23 February 2023|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230224071106/https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/cid-gallup-salvadorenos-perciben-menor-corrupcion-que-otros-paises|archive-date=24 February 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Municipal and legislative reductions ===

[[File:Nayib Bukele with a legislative proposal (1 June 2023).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|alt=Nayib Bukele standing at a podium and holding up a legislative proposal in his right hand|Bukele holding a bill proposing the reduction of the number of municipalities from 262 to 44]]

In December 2022, Bukele tweeted that he believed that the country's [[Municipalities of El Salvador|262 municipalities]] should be reduced to 50. He called it "absurd" ("{{lang|es|absurdo}}") that El Salvador, around {{convert|8100|sqmi|km2}} in size, had so many municipalities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/elecciones-legislativas-municipales-segregacion-de-municipios-nayib-bukele-accion-ciudadana-cristosal-/1028984/2023/|title=Pasar de 262 a 50 Municipios Puede Crear "Manipulación Electoral", Señalan Abogados y Economistas|trans-title=Going from 262 to 50 Municipalities Can Create "Electoral Manipulation", Signals Lawyers and Economists|language=es|date=2 January 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Eugenia|last1=Velásquez|archive-date=5 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105190615/https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/elecciones-legislativas-municipales-segregacion-de-municipios-nayib-bukele-accion-ciudadana-cristosal-/1028984/2023/|url-status=live}}</ref> Some lawyers and politicians criticized Bukele's proposed reduction as an attempt to consolidate power by [[gerrymandering]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/alcaldias-asamblea-legislativa-nayib-bukele/1028982/2023/|title=Intención de Bukele de Reducir Municipios es para Concentrar Más Poder, Afirman Expertos|trans-title=Bukele's Intention to Reduce Municipalities is to Concentrate More Power, Affirm Experts|language=es|date=3 January 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Eugenia|last1=Velásquez|archive-date=4 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230104064814/https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/alcaldias-asamblea-legislativa-nayib-bukele/1028982/2023/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/AQ-Issue-1-2024_Latin-Americas-Election-Super-Cycle-1.pdf|title=A Historic Year – Our Look at Latin America's 2024 Election Super-Cycle|language=en|date=2024|access-date=27 October 2024|work=[[Americas Quarterly]]|volume=18|issue=1|editor1-first=José Enrique|editor1-last=Arrioja|editor2-first=Tamara|editor2-last=Taraciuk Broner|editor3-first=Sebastián|editor3-last=Zubieta|editor4-first=Alejandra|editor4-last=Olivia|editor5-first=Nick|editor5-last=Burns|archive-date=20 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240420043107/https://americasquarterly.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/AQ-Issue-1-2024_Latin-Americas-Election-Super-Cycle-1.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|20}} His allies supported the proposal, with some proposing a reduction in the number of Legislative Assembly seats.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/gallegos-sugiere-reducir-la-cantidad-de-diputados-en-asamblea-legislativa|title=Gallegos Sugiere Reducir la Cantidad de Diputados en Asamblea Legislativa|trans-title=Gallegos Suggests Reducing the Number of Deputies in the Legislative Assembly|language=es|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|date=4 January 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|first1=Verónica|last1=Crespín|archive-date=5 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230105191645/https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/gallegos-sugiere-reducir-la-cantidad-de-diputados-en-asamblea-legislativa|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.prensa-latina.cu/2023/01/11/gana-fuerza-propuesta-de-reordenar-municipios-en-el-salvador|title=Gana Fuerza Propuesta de Reordenar Municipios en El Salvador|trans-title=The Proposal to Reorder Municipalities in El Salvador Gains Force|language=es|date=11 January 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[Prensa Latina]]|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-date=18 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230118003107/https://www.prensa-latina.cu/2023/01/11/gana-fuerza-propuesta-de-reordenar-municipios-en-el-salvador|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Oficialismo-evalua-proponer-reduccion-en-el-numero-de--los-municipios-y-diputados-20230220-0100.html|title=Oficialismo Evalúa Proponer Reducción en el Número de los Municipios y Diputados|trans-title=Officials Evaluate Proposing Reduction in the Number of Municipalities and Deputies|language=es|date=21 February 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Lissette|last1=Mondragón|archive-date=5 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205233844/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Oficialismo-evalua-proponer-reduccion-en-el-numero-de--los-municipios-y-diputados-20230220-0100.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 1 June 2023, during a speech commemorating his fourth year in office, Bukele announced that he would present two proposals to the Legislative Assembly. One sought to reduce the number of seats in the assembly from 84 to 60, and the other sought to reduce the number of municipalities from 262 to 44.<ref name="262m">{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/arena-asamblea-johnny-wright-sol-nayib-bukele-nuestro-tiempo-rene-portillo-cuadra-cuarto-ano/1065243/2023/|title=Bukele Pide Reducir de 262 a 44 Municipios y de 84 Diputados a 60|trans-title=Bukele Ask to Reduce from 262 to 44 Municipalities and from 84 Deputies to 60|language=es|date=1 June 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Eugenia|last1=Velásquez|archive-date=1 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601232449/https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/arena-asamblea-johnny-wright-sol-nayib-bukele-nuestro-tiempo-rene-portillo-cuadra-cuarto-ano/1065243/2023/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele justified the legislative reduction by saying that the legislature had 60 seats before the signing of the [[Chapultepec Peace Accords]] in 1992 that ended the Salvadoran Civil War, and the accords' only accomplishment was the addition of 24 seats to the legislature.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diariolahuella.com/presidente-bukele-anuncia-reduccion-a-60-diputados/|title=Presidente Bukele Anuncia Reducción a 60 Diputados|trans-title=President Bukele Announces Reduction to 60 Deputies|language=es|date=1 June 2023|access-date=1 June 2023|work=Diario la Huella|first1=Tatiana|last1=Tobar|archive-date=2 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230602051057/https://diariolahuella.com/presidente-bukele-anuncia-reduccion-a-60-diputados/|url-status=live}}</ref> About the municipal-reduction proposal, he stated that the 262 municipalities would retain their cultural identities and be classified as districts.<ref name="262m" /> The Legislative Assembly approved the proposal for legislative reductions on 7 June 2023,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-slashes-size-congress-ahead-elections-2023-06-07/|title=El Salvador Slashes Size of Congress Ahead of Elections|language=en|date=7 June 2023|access-date=7 June 2023|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Kylie|last2=Madry|editor1-first=Bill|editor1-last=Berkrot|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230607165502/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-slashes-size-congress-ahead-elections-2023-06-07/|archive-date=7 June 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> and approved the proposal for municipal reductions six days later.<ref name="effect">{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/asamblea-legislativa-aprueba-ley-reduccion-municipios/1068062/2023/|title=Asamblea Aprueba Reducir de 262 a 44 el Número de Municipios en El Salvador|trans-title=The Assembly Approves to Reduce the Number of Municipalities in El Salvador from 262 to 44|language=es|date=13 June 2023|access-date=13 June 2023|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Jessica|last1=García|archive-date=14 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230614014711/https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/asamblea-legislativa-aprueba-ley-reduccion-municipios/1068062/2023/|url-status=live}}</ref> Both reductions became effective on 1 May 2024.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Quien-gobernara-donde-estos-son-los-ganadores-en-las-44-nuevas-alcaldias-de-El-Salvador-y-los-distritos-que-incluyen-20240304-0018.html|title=El Salvador se Reduce a 44 Nuevos Municipios ¿Cómo se Llama el Suyo, Qué Distritos Incluye y Quién lo Gobernará?|trans-title=El Salvador Is Reduced to 44 New Municipalities. What Is Yours Called, What Districts Are Included, and Who Will Govern Them?|language=es|date=1 May 2024|access-date=17 June 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Beatriz|last1=Calderón|archive-date=22 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240322044912/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Quien-gobernara-donde-estos-son-los-ganadores-en-las-44-nuevas-alcaldias-de-El-Salvador-y-los-distritos-que-incluyen-20240304-0018.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/EN-VIVO-Nueva-Asamblea-Legislativa-con-menos-diputados-se-prepara-para-tomar-posesion-en-El-Salvador-este-miercoles-20240501-0049.html|title=Asamblea Legislativa Toma Posesión para el Periodo 2024–2027: Así Estará Conformada la Junta Directiva (+Video)|trans-title=The Legislative Assembly for the 2024–2027 Term Assumes Office: This Is How the Directive Junta Will Be Composed (+Video)|language=es|date=1 May 2024|access-date=17 June 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Arlen|last1=Cortez}}</ref>

=== 2024 re-election campaign ===

{{Further|2024 Salvadoran general election}}

On 3 September 2021, the Supreme Court of Justice ruled that the president can serve two consecutive terms in office. The ruling overturned a 2014 ruling that presidents had to wait ten years to be eligible to run for re-election. Constitutional lawyers criticized the ruling, saying that consecutive re-election violates [[Constitution of El Salvador|El Salvador's constitution]].<ref name="reelection AJ">{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/4/el-salvador-court-says-presidents-can-serve-2-straight-terms|title=El Salvador Court says Presidents can Serve Two Straight Terms|language=en|date=4 September 2021|access-date=5 September 2021|work=[[Al Jazeera English]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904192940/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/4/el-salvador-court-says-presidents-can-serve-2-straight-terms|archive-date=4 September 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="reelection AP">{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/elections-el-salvador-9dcbdb58df7fec5b43b289c3eb269730|title=El Salvador Court Drops Ban on Presidential Re-Election|language=en|date=4 September 2021|access-date=5 September 2021|work=[[Associated Press]]|first1=Marcos|last1=Amelán|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606033203/https://apnews.com/article/elections-el-salvador-9dcbdb58df7fec5b43b289c3eb269730|archive-date=6 June 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> The 2021 ruling allowed Bukele to run for re-election in the [[2024 Salvadoran general election|2024 presidential election]]. ARENA and the FMLN protested the court's ruling, with an ARENA spokesperson calling it a "precursor to a dictatorship" and an FMLN representative saying that the state is serving only one person: Bukele.<ref name="reelection AP" /> The ruling was also condemned by the United States government. [[Jean Elizabeth Manes]], chargé d'affaires of the United States to El Salvador, called it "clearly contrary to the Salvadoran constitution".<ref name="reelection AP" /> According to Manes, the ruling was a direct result of the May 2021 legislative replacement of the Supreme Court justices.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-top-court-rules-presidents-can-serve-two-consecutive-terms-2021-09-04/|title=El Salvador Top Court Opens Door to President's Re-Election, U.S. Protests|language=en|date=4 September 2021|access-date=5 September 2021|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|editor1-first=John|editor1-last=Stonestreet|editor2-first=Steve|editor2-last=Orlofsky|editor3-first=William|editor3-last=Mallard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904230452/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-top-court-rules-presidents-can-serve-two-consecutive-terms-2021-09-04/|archive-date=4 September 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{External media
| float  = right
| width  = 200px
| title  = External video
| video1 = [https://twitter.com/nayibbukele/status/1570593844202291200 Bukele's speech celebrating 201 years independence, where he announced he would run for re-election in 2024] (34:00)
}}

On 15 September 2022, during a speech commemorating El Salvador's 201st anniversary of independence, Bukele announced that he would run for re-election in 2024. According to Bukele, "developed countries have re-election, and thanks to the new configuration of the democratic institution of our country, now El Salvador will too".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/despite-prohibition-el-salvador-president-bukele-says-he-will-seek-re-election-2022-09-16/|title=Despite Prohibition, El Salvador President Bukele Says he will Seek Re-Election|language=en|date=16 September 2022|access-date=16 September 2022|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Sarah|last2=Morland|first3=Kylie|last3=Madry|editor1-first=Jacqueline|editor1-last=Wong|editor2-first=Bradley|editor2-last=Perrett|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916054144/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/despite-prohibition-el-salvador-president-bukele-says-he-will-seek-re-election-2022-09-16/|archive-date=16 September 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/24acbbea-740c-44f1-b780-d424ff83f9d7|title=El Salvador's President to Run for Re-Election Despite Constitutional Ban|language=en|date=16 September 2022|access-date=16 September 2022|work=[[Financial Times]]|first1=David|last1=Agren|location=[[Mexico City]], Mexico|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916184903/https://www.ft.com/content/24acbbea-740c-44f1-b780-d424ff83f9d7|archive-date=16 September 2022|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/16/el-salvadors-bukele-says-he-will-seek-re-election-despite-ban|title=El Salvador's Bukele Says he will Seek Re-Election Despite Ban|language=en|date=16 September 2022|access-date=16 September 2022|work=[[Al Jazeera English]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220916172005/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/9/16/el-salvadors-bukele-says-he-will-seek-re-election-despite-ban|archive-date=16 September 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> Constitutional lawyers criticized his announcement, saying that presidential re-election violates "at least" four articles of the El Salvador constitution.<ref name="LATNB">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-09-16/el-salvador-presidents-re-election-bid-draws-strong-reaction|title=El Salvador President's Reelection Bid Despite Constitutional Ban Draws Strong Reaction|language=en|date=16 September 2022|access-date=16 September 2022|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first1=Marcos|last1=Alemán|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316041959/https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2022-09-16/el-salvador-presidents-re-election-bid-draws-strong-reaction|archive-date=16 March 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Registration of the Nuevas Ideas presidential and vice presidential candidates (October 2023).jpg|thumb|alt=Bukele, Félix Ulloa and two other men|Bukele registering his 2024 presidential candidacy with the TSE]]

Bukele registered as a presidential pre-candidate on 26 June 2023 with Nuevas Ideas; Ulloa registered as Bukele's vice-presidential pre-candidate.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Nuevas-Ideas-dio-a-conocer-inscripcion-de-Bukele-y-Ulloa-como-precandidatos-para-elecciones-presidenciales-20230626-0008.html|title=Nuevas Ideas Dio a Conocer Inscripción de Bukele y Ulloa como Precandidatos para Elecciones Presidenciales|trans-title=Nuevas Ideas Made It Known the Registration of Bukele and Ulloa as Pre-Candidates for the Presidential Elections|language=es|date=26 June 2023|access-date=26 June 2023|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Gabriel|last1=Campos|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110151145/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Nuevas-Ideas-dio-a-conocer-inscripcion-de-Bukele-y-Ulloa-como-precandidatos-para-elecciones-presidenciales-20230626-0008.html|archive-date=10 January 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> Nuevas Ideas nominated Bukele and Ulloa as their presidential and vice-presidential candidates on 9 July.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/nuevas-ideas-oficializa-a-nayib-bukele-como-candidato-presidencial-de-2024|title=Nuevas Ideas Oficializa a Nayib Bukele como Candidato Presidencial de 2024|trans-title=Nuevas Ideas Makes Official Nayib Bukele as Presidential Candidate in 2024|language=es|date=9 July 2023|access-date=9 July 2023|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Jessica|last1=Guzmán|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230710023550/https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/nuevas-ideas-oficializa-a-nayib-bukele-como-candidato-presidencial-de-2024|archive-date=10 July 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Nuevas-Ideas-confirma-formula-presidencial-20230709-0036.html|title=Nuevas Ideas Confirma Fórmula Presidencial|trans-title=Nuevas Ideas Confirms Presidential Formula|language=es|date=9 July 2023|access-date=9 July 2023|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Williams|last1=Sandoval|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110151144/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Nuevas-Ideas-confirma-formula-presidencial-20230709-0036.html|archive-date=10 January 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> The party began registering Bukele and Ulloa's candidacies with the [[Supreme Electoral Court (El Salvador)|TSE]] on 26 October, the last day to do so.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/bukele-pide-inscribirse-para-la-reelecion-en-medio-de-llamados-al-tse-a-no-aceptarla/1099866/2023/|title=Bukele Pide Inscribirse para la Reelección en Medio de Llamados al TSE a no Aceptarla|trans-title=Bukele Asks to Be Registered for Re-Election Amid Calls for the TSE to Not Accept It|language=es|date=28 October 2023|access-date=28 October 2023|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Susana|last1=Peñate|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028202016/https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/bukele-pide-inscribirse-para-la-reelecion-en-medio-de-llamados-al-tse-a-no-aceptarla/1099866/2023/|archive-date=28 October 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> On 3 November 2023, the TSE registered their candidacies<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/tse-resuelve-inscribir-a-nayib-bukele-y-manuel-flores-como-candidatos-a-presidente|title=TSE Resuelve Inscribir a Nayib Bukele y Manuel Flores como Candidatos a Presidente|trans-title=TSE Resolves to Register Nayib Bukele and Manuel Flores as Presidential Candidates|language=es|date=3 November 2023|access-date=3 November 2023|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103202413/https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/tse-resuelve-inscribir-a-nayib-bukele-y-manuel-flores-como-candidatos-a-presidente|archive-date=3 November 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> amidst opposition requests to reject Bukele's candidacy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Presentan-una-10-peticion-de-nulidad-de-la-candidatura-de-Nayib-Bukele-20231107-0080.html|title=Presentan una 10ª Petición de Nulidad de la Candidatura de Nayib Bukele|trans-title=They Presented the 10th Petition to Nullify Nayib Bukele's Candidacy|language=es|date=8 November 2023|access-date=8 November 2023|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Lissette|last1=Mondragón|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231223002117/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Presentan-una-10-peticion-de-nulidad-de-la-candidatura-de-Nayib-Bukele-20231107-0080.html|archive-date=23 December 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 30 November 2023, the Legislative Assembly granted Bukele and Ulloa leaves of absence to focus on their re-election campaign. The leave went into effect the following day and Bukele's presidential powers were suspended.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-reelection-caaf0eb5aa6be4b53f22d99a2bcec513|title=El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele Granted Leave to Campaign for Re-Election|language=en|date=30 November 2023|access-date=2 December 2023|work=[[Associated Press]]|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202010705/https://apnews.com/article/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-reelection-caaf0eb5aa6be4b53f22d99a2bcec513|archive-date=2 December 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> The Legislative Assembly named [[Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara]], Bukele's presidential secretary, as the presidential designate; Rodríguez was the first woman in Salvadoran history to hold presidential power.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Asamblea-otorga-permiso-a-Bukele-para-que-realice-campana-20231130-0091.html|title=Asamblea Otorga Permiso a Bukele para que Realice Campaña|trans-title=Assembly Grants Bukele Permission to Realize His Campaign|language=es|date=30 November 2023|access-date=30 November 2023|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Gabriel|last1=Campos Madrid|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231201233327/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Asamblea-otorga-permiso-a-Bukele-para-que-realice-campana-20231130-0091.html|archive-date=1 December 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Her appointment was criticized by some lawyers and opposition politicians as unconstitutional.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/el-salvador-elecciones_secretaria-privada-de-bukele-ocupar%C3%A1-la-presidencia-durante-licencia-del-mandatario/49021872|title=Secretaria Privada de Bukele Ocupará la Presidencia Durante Licencia del Mandatario|trans-title=Private Secretary of Bukele Will Occupy the Presidency During Leave of Absence of the Incumbent|language=es|date=1 December 2023|access-date=1 April 2024|work=Swiss Info|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202102644/https://www.swissinfo.ch/spa/el-salvador-elecciones_secretaria-privada-de-bukele-ocupar%C3%A1-la-presidencia-durante-licencia-del-mandatario/49021872|archive-date=2 December 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-12-04/bukele-places-personal-secretary-as-interim-president-as-he-runs-for-reelection-in-el-salvador.html|title=Bukele Places Personal Secretary as Interim President as He Runs for Re-Election in El Salvador|language=en|date=4 December 2023|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Wilfredo|last1=Miranda|location=[[San José, Costa Rica|San José]], Costa Rica|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231204205416/https://english.elpais.com/international/2023-12-04/bukele-places-personal-secretary-as-interim-president-as-he-runs-for-reelection-in-el-salvador.html|archive-date=4 December 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/world-news/general-news-e03108ba9371398ad529cf44b8259d1f|title=La Nueva Presidenta Interina de El Salvador Era Hasta Ayer la Secretaria Privada de Bukele|trans-title=The New Interim President of El Salvador Was Until Yesterday the Private Secretary of Bukele|language=es|date=1 December 2023|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[Associated Press]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202220548/https://apnews.com/world-news/general-news-e03108ba9371398ad529cf44b8259d1f|archive-date=2 December 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

Including Bukele, there were six presidential candidates in the 2024 election.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/en-vivo-cierre-de-escrutinio-final-de-la-eleccion-de-presidente-y-vicepresidente-2024|title=En Vivo: Cierre de Escrutinio Final de la Elección de Presidente y Vicepresidente 2024|trans-title=Live: The Final Scrutiny for the 2024 Presidential and Vice Presidential Election Closes|language=es|date=9 February 2024|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|archive-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401211633/https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/en-vivo-cierre-de-escrutinio-final-de-la-eleccion-de-presidente-y-vicepresidente-2024|url-status=live}}</ref> His primary opponents were ARENA's Joel Sánchez, a businessman, and the FMLN's [[Manuel Flores (Salvadoran politician)|Manuel Flores]], a former legislator.<ref name="MTC2024">{{cite web|url=https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/meet-the-candidates-el-salvador/|title=Meet the Candidates: El Salvador|language=en|date=14 December 2023|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[Americas Quarterly]]|first1=Rich|last1=Brown|archive-date=16 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316194607/https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/meet-the-candidates-el-salvador/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele led Sánchez and Flores by large margins in [[Opinion polling for the 2024 Salvadoran general election|opinion polling]] before the election.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-28/bukele-the-cool-dictator-unrivaled-at-el-salvadors-elections.html|title=Bukele, the Iron Fist Leader Without Rival in El Salvador's Elections|language=en|date=28 January 2024|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Juan Diego|last1=Quesada|location=[[Bogotá]], Colombia|archive-date=3 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403024627/https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-01-28/bukele-the-cool-dictator-unrivaled-at-el-salvadors-elections.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/despite-constitutional-ban-salvadoran-leader-heavily-favored-reelection-poll-2023-03-14/|title=Despite Constitutional Ban, Salvadoran Leader Heavily Favored for Re-Election, Poll Shows|language=en|date=14 March 2023|access-date=15 March 2023|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Rentiera|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-date=15 March 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315014126/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/despite-constitutional-ban-salvadoran-leader-heavily-favored-reelection-poll-2023-03-14/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele promised to maintain the gang crackdown, invest in infrastructure projects, and promote economic growth during his second term.<ref name="MTC2024" /> On 4 February 2024, he won re-election with 84.65 percent of the vote.<ref name="EM 2024">{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/tse-declara-en-firme-el-triunfo-de-bukele|title=TSE Declara en Firme el Triunfo de Bukele|trans-title=TSE Firmly Declares Bukele's Triumph|language=es|date=17 February 2024|access-date=1 March 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Ulevi|last1=Alemán|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240218195645/https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/tse-declara-en-firme-el-triunfo-de-bukele|archive-date=18 February 2024|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele was the first Salvadoran president to be re-elected since [[Maximiliano Hernández Martínez]] in [[1944 Salvadoran presidential election|1944]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nacla.org/el-salvador-slide-toward-authoritarianism|title=El Salvador's Slide Toward Authoritarianism|last1=Ng|first1=Johnathan|language=en|work=[[North American Congress on Latin America]]|date=2 November 2022|access-date=12 June 2024|archive-date=3 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221103155224/https://nacla.org/el-salvador-slide-toward-authoritarianism|url-status=live}}</ref> Nuevas Ideas retained its Legislative Assembly supermajority and, with its allies, won 43 of the country's 44 municipalities.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.contrapunto.com.sv/nuevas-ideas-sera-el-1er-partido-con-mayoria-absoluta-en-el-congreso-salvadoreno/|title=Nuevas Ideas Será el 1er Partido con Mayoría Absoluta en el Congreso Salvadoreño|trans-title=Nuevas Ideas Will Be the Number 1 Party with an Absolute Majority in the Salvadoran Congress|language=es|date=20 February 2024|access-date=1 April 2024|work=Contra Punto|archive-date=21 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240221173259/https://www.contrapunto.com.sv/nuevas-ideas-sera-el-1er-partido-con-mayoria-absoluta-en-el-congreso-salvadoreno/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://lanoticiasv.com/bukele-anuncio-que-ni-junto-con-sus-aliados-sumaron-43-alcaldias-milagro-navas-gano-la-unica-alcaldia-de-la-oposicion/|title=Bukele Anunció que NI Junto con sus Aliados Sumaron 43 Alcaldías. Milagro Navas Ganó la Única Alcaldía de la Oposición|trans-title=Bukele Announced that NI Together With Its Allies Won 43 Mayorships. Milagro Navas Won the Only Mayorship of the Opposition|language=es|date=3 March 2024|access-date=1 April 2024|work=La Noticia SV|first1=David|last1=Morales|location=El Salvador|archive-date=4 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304053414/https://lanoticiasv.com/bukele-anuncio-que-ni-junto-con-sus-aliados-sumaron-43-alcaldias-milagro-navas-gano-la-unica-alcaldia-de-la-oposicion/|url-status=live}}</ref> Several news outlets described the election results as a "[[landslide victory]]" for Bukele and Nuevas Ideas,<ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/1306b424-b250-48c5-a383-6dedac67f482|title=El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele Set for Landslide Election Victory after Gang Crackdown|language=es|date=5 February 2024|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[Financial Times]]|first1=Christine|last1=Murray|url-access=subscription|archive-date=11 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240211050927/https://www.ft.com/content/1306b424-b250-48c5-a383-6dedac67f482|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/04/world/americas/election-el-salvador-bukele.html|title=El Salvador's President Claims Election Victory in a Landslide|language=en|date=4 February 2024|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[The New York Times]]|first1=Gabriel|last1=Labrador|first2=Natalie|last2=Kitroeff|location=[[San Salvador]] and [[Mexico City]]|archive-date=29 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229215431/https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/04/world/americas/election-el-salvador-bukele.html|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-president-bukele-poised-another-landslide-voters-head-polls-2024-02-04/|title=El Salvador's Bukele Re-Elected as President in Landslide Win|language=en|date=5 February 2024|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Sarah|last2=Kinosian|first3=Diego|last3=Ore|first4=Natalia|last4=Siniawski|first5=Drazen|last5=Jorgic|editor1-first=Will|editor1-last=Dunham|editor2-first=Chizu|editor2-last=Nomiyama|editor3-first=Nick|editor3-last=Zieminski|editor4-first=Sonali|editor4-last=Paul|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-date=4 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204183132/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-president-bukele-poised-another-landslide-voters-head-polls-2024-02-04/|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/05/americas/el-salvador-election-results-intl/index.html|title=El Salvador's Nayib Bukele Set for Landslide Election Victory|language=en|date=5 February 2024|access-date=5 February 2024|work=[[CNN]]|first1=David|last1=Shortell|first2=Stefano|last2=Pozzebon|first3=Martin|last3=Goillandeau|archive-date=5 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205170101/https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/05/americas/el-salvador-election-results-intl/index.html|url-status=live}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/02/05/el-salvador-embraces-future-with-bitcoin-as-bukele-secures-historic-victory/?sh=33c926557efc|title=El Salvador Embraces Future With Bitcoin As Bukele Secures Historic Victory|language=en|date=5 February 2024|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[Forbes]]|first1=Susie Violet|last1=Ward|archive-date=5 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205170627/https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2024/02/05/el-salvador-embraces-future-with-bitcoin-as-bukele-secures-historic-victory/?sh=33c926557efc|url-status=live}}</ref> and Bukele described his victory as "the record in the entire democratic history of the world".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/02/05/after-nayib-bukeles-crushing-unconstitutional-victory-what-next|title=After Nayib Bukele's Crushing, Unconstitutional Victory, What Next?|language=en|date=5 February 2024|access-date=11 November 2024|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|location=[[Izalco]] and [[San Salvador]]|url-access=subscription}}</ref> The TSE granted Bukele his presidential credentials on 29 February<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/tse-entrega-credenciales-a-bukele-y-ulloa-para-periodo-presidencial-2024-2029|title=TSE Entrega Credenciales a Bukele y Ulloa para Período Presidencial 2024–2029|trans-title=The TSE Gives Credentials to Bukele and Ulloa for the 2024–2029 Presidential Term|language=es|date=29 February 2024|access-date=3 March 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Verónica|last1=Crespín|archive-date=1 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301014652/https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/tse-entrega-credenciales-a-bukele-y-ulloa-para-periodo-presidencial-2024-2029|url-status=live}}</ref> and his second term began on 1 June.<ref name="inaug2" />

In June 2024, Bukele told ''Time'' that he would not seek a third term.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elsalvador.com/noticias/nacional/nayib-bukele-elecciones-presidenciales-el-salvador-entrevista-revista-time-/1165082/2024/|title=Nayib Bukele a Revista Time: "No Puedo Correr para Presidente de Nuevo"|trans-title=Nayib Bukele to Time Magazine: "I Cannot Run for President Again"|language=es|date=29 August 2024|access-date=29 August 2024|work=[[El Diario de Hoy]]|first1=Abigail|last1=Parada|first2=Carlos|last2=López Vides}}</ref>

== Personal life ==

=== Family ===

[[File:Nayib Bukele with his family, 2024.jpg|thumb|alt=Bukele and his wife walking with their two daughters surrounded by soldiers|Bukele with his wife and their two daughters in 2024]]

Bukele began dating psychologist and ballet dancer [[Gabriela Rodríguez de Bukele|Gabriela Rodríguez]] in 2004<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.notimerica.com/politica/noticia-quien-gabriela-rodriguez-bukele-nueva-primera-dama-salvador-20190204213247.html|title=¿Quién es Gabriela Rodríguez de Bukele, la Nueva Primera Dama de El Salvador?|trans-title=Who Is Gabriela Rodríguez de Bukele, the New First Lady of El Salvador?|language=es|date=4 February 2024|access-date=6 November 2024|work=Notimerica|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> and the two married on 6 December 2014.<ref name="Revista Elementos" /><ref name="Bernal" /> The couple have two daughters. Their first was born in 2019<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elmundo.sv/presidente-bukele-anuncia-el-nacimiento-de-su-hija-layla/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190922221358/https://elmundo.sv/presidente-bukele-anuncia-el-nacimiento-de-su-hija-layla/|title=Presidente Bukele Anuncia el Nacimiento de su Hija Layla|trans-title=President Bukele Announces the Birth of his Daughter Layla|language=es|website=El Mundo|date=15 August 2019|access-date=24 June 2021|archive-date=22 September 2019}}</ref> and their second in 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/presidente-bukele-anuncia-nacimiento-de-su-segunda-hija|title=Presidente Bukele Anuncia Nacimiento de su Segunda Hija|trans-title=President Bukele Announces the Birth of His Second Daughter|language=es|date=8 November 2023|access-date=8 November 2023|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Magdalena|last1=Reyes|archive-date=8 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108144124/https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/presidente-bukele-anuncia-nacimiento-de-su-segunda-hija|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Wealth ===

According to the Salvadoran government's transparency website, Bukele's monthly presidential salary was $5,181 in July 2019. According to the website, he had a net worth of $2,548,967 at that time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/presidentes-mas-ricos-de-america-latina-quienes-son-y-sus-fortunas-712730|title=Los Presidentes Más Ricos de América Latina: Estos son sus Patrimonios|trans-title=The Richest Presidents of Latin America: These Are Their Assets|language=es|date=26 October 2022|access-date=12 April 2024|work=[[El Tiempo (Colombia)|El Tiempo]]|first1=William|last1=Moreno Hernández|archive-date=7 December 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221207175356/https://www.eltiempo.com/mundo/latinoamerica/presidentes-mas-ricos-de-america-latina-quienes-son-y-sus-fortunas-712730|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele acquired most of his wealth through business ventures before entering politics.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eleconomista.es/actualidad/noticias/11936151/09/22/Asi-hizo-su-fortuna-Nayib-Bukele-el-presidente-cripto-de-Salvador.html|title=Así Hizo su Fortuna Nayib Bukele: El Presidente 'Cripto' de El Salvador|trans-title=This Is How Nayib Bukele Made His Fortune: The "Crypto" President of El Salvador|language=es|date=8 September 2022|access-date=12 April 2024|work=[[El Economista (Spain)|El Economista]]|first1=Víctor|last1=Millán|archive-date=21 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231021210838/https://www.eleconomista.es/actualidad/noticias/11936151/09/22/Asi-hizo-su-fortuna-Nayib-Bukele-el-presidente-cripto-de-Salvador.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele owns a coffee farm. In July 2024, he began donating coffee beans grown on his farm to local businesses<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ticotimes.net/2024/07/18/el-salvadors-president-offers-free-coffee-to-promote-local-businesses|title=El Salvador's President Offers Free Coffee to Promote Local Businesses|language=en|date=18 July 2024|access-date=22 July 2024|work=[[The Tico Times]]}}</ref> and launched the Bean of Fire coffee brand.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/economia/bukele-anuncia-su-propia-marca-de-cafe-bean-of-fire|title=Bukele Anuncia su Propia Marca de Café 'Bean of Fire'|trans-title=Bukele Announces His Own Coffee Brand "Bean of Fire"|language=es|date=20 July 2024|access-date=22 July 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Uveli|last1=Alemán}}</ref>

=== Religion ===

Bukele's religious beliefs were controversial during his 2019 presidential campaign, with rumors that he was a [[Christians|Christian]], a [[Muslims|Muslim]], or an [[Atheism|atheist]].<ref name="RAP">{{cite web|url=https://religionandpolitics.org/2022/08/02/the-faith-based-politics-of-el-salvadors-millennial-president/|title=The Faith-Based Politics of El Salvador's Millennial President|language=en|date=2 August 2022|access-date=22 March 2024|work=Religion and Politics|first1=Amy|last1=Fallas|archive-date=4 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240304092149/https://religionandpolitics.org/2022/08/02/the-faith-based-politics-of-el-salvadors-millennial-president/|url-status=live}}</ref> The controversy began when pictures from 2011 of Bukele praying at a mosque with his father and brothers spread on social media.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/el-salvador/|title=2019 Report on International Religious Freedom: El Salvador|language=en|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[United States Department of State]]|archive-date=15 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215212631/https://www.state.gov/reports/2019-report-on-international-religious-freedom/el-salvador/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="EMmez">{{cite web|url=https://elmundo.sv/polemica-por-imagenes-de-bukele-en-oracion-dentro-de-una-mezquita/|title=Polémica por Imágenes de Bukele en Oración Dentro de una Mezquita|trans-title=Controversy over Images of Bukele in Prayer Inside a Mosque|language=es|date=8 January 2019|access-date=5 February 2019|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190412075018/https://elmundo.sv/polemica-por-imagenes-de-bukele-en-oracion-dentro-de-una-mezquita/|archive-date=12 April 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Bukele dismissed the controversy as an attempt by the political right to exploit [[Islamophobia]] in the predominantly Catholic country.<ref name="RAP" />

Although Bukele does not identify with any religion, he has stated that he believes in [[God]] and [[Jesus]].<ref name="CIDOB" /><ref name="EMmez" /> In a 2015 interview, Bukele said: "I am not a person who believes much in the liturgy of religions. However, I believe in God, in Jesus Christ. I believe in his word, I believe in his word revealed in the [[Bible|Holy Bible]]. And I know that God does not reject anyone because of their origins".<ref name="TTOI" /> Before that year, some Salvadorans believed that he was a Muslim.<ref name="Aguilar Vasquez">{{cite journal|url=https://camjol.info/index.php/RyR/article/view/14429|title=Nayib Bukele, el Bukelismo y el Uso de la Religión|trans-title=Nayib Bukele, Bukelism and the Use of Religion|language=es|date=24 June 2022|access-date=25 March 2024|publisher=[[Francisco Gavidia University]]|journal=Realidad y Reflexión|volume=1|issue=55|pages=164–184|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|first1=Luis Eduardo|last1=Aguilar Vásquez|doi=10.5377/ryr.v1i55.14429|doi-access=free|issn=1992-6510|id={{ORCID|0000-0003-0764-1428}}|archive-date=25 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240325174820/https://camjol.info/index.php/RyR/article/view/14429|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|166}} Bukele has referred to [[Bible]] verses,<ref name="RAP" /> God, and Saint [[Óscar Romero]] — the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Salvador|archbishop of San Salvador]] who was assassinated in 1980 — in some of his speeches,<ref name="Aguilar Vasquez" />{{Rp|166–172}} and has called himself an "instrument of God" ("{{lang|es|instrumento de Dios}}").<ref name="Aguilar Vasquez" />{{Rp|177}} He met with [[Pope Francis]] in April 2015, saying that the pope told him that [[Rutilio Grande]] — a Jesuit priest who was assassinated in 1977 — would soon be beatified.<ref name="Aguilar Vasquez" />{{Rp|166}}

== Political views ==

[[File:The White House - 54452215186.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Nayib Bukele and Donald Trump standing side-by-side|Bukele with U.S. President Donald Trump (to whom Bukele and his governing style have been compared) in April 2025]]

[[File:Nayib Bukele with Javier Milei, September 2024.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Nayib Bukele and Javier Milei standing in front of the flags of El Salvador and Argentina|Bukele with Argentine president [[Javier Milei]] (to whom Bukele and his policies have been compared) in September 2024]]

As mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán, Bukele described himself as part of the "[[Far-left politics|radical left]]"<ref name="Bergengruen">{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/7015636/president-nayib-bukele-interview/|title=Read the Full Transcript of President Nayib Bukele's Interview With TIME|language=en|date=29 August 2024|access-date=29 August 2024|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|first1=Vera|last1=Bergengruen|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> because he wanted "radical changes" ("{{lang|es|cambios radicales}}") for El Salvador;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nayib-bukele-izquierda_n_1882374|title=Nayib Bukele: Soy de Izquierda Radical|trans-title=Nayib Bukele: I Am of the Radical Left|language=es|date=13 September 2012|access-date=27 November 2023|work=[[HuffPost|The Huffington Post]]|first1=Juan José|last1=Dalton|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127040748/https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nayib-bukele-izquierda_n_1882374|archive-date=27 November 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> he also stated that his family had always had significant connections with the Salvadoran political left. Bukele believed in [[social justice]] and the state obligation to guarantee Salvadorans the opportunity for "health, education, [and] productive infrastructure" ("{{lang|es|salud, educación, [e] infraestructura productiva}}"). Some FMLN members criticized Bukele's work as a businessman, believing that it contradicted the "historic goal of the proletariat" ("{{lang|es|papel histórico del proletariado}}"): eliminating capitalism.<ref name="Bernal" />

Since becoming president, Bukele has stated that he does not adhere to any specific political ideology. He has criticized the political left and right in El Salvador for dividing the country after the civil war.<ref name="popularity">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-05-16/nayib-bukele-the-most-popular-president-in-the-world-is-a-man-with-one-ideology-power|title=El Salvador's Millennial President is a Man with One Vision: Power|language=en|date=16 May 2021|access-date=21 June 2021|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first1=Kate|last1=Linthicum|url-access=subscription|archive-date=26 September 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926110357/https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2021-05-16/nayib-bukele-the-most-popular-president-in-the-world-is-a-man-with-one-ideology-power|url-status=live}}</ref> In an interview with ''Time''{{'s}} Vera Bergengruen, Bukele stated that he does not consider himself to be left- or right-wing.<ref name="Bergengruen" /> ''El Faro''{{'s}} editorial board has described Bukele as a "politician without an ideology" ("''político sin ideología''").<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elfaro.net/es/202407/columnas/27483/la-ideologia-de-bukele-es-el-oportunismo|title=La Ideología de Bukele es el Oportunismo|trans-title=Bukele's Ideology is Opportunism|language=es|date=3 July 2024|access-date=23 July 2024|work=[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]}}</ref> Despite Bukele's ideologic neutrality, some journalists and political analysts have described him as a [[populist]],<ref name="APpop">{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/trump-milei-bukele-latin-america-conservatives-republicans-0215b7fdea225a0ca2cddfbebbd2438a|title=Can Conservative Latin American Populists Motivate the Hispanic Vote? Republicans Are Counting on It|language=en|date=28 February 2024|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Associated Press]]|first1=Adriana|last1=Gomez Licon|location=[[Oxon Hill, Maryland]]|archive-date=3 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403021810/https://apnews.com/article/trump-milei-bukele-latin-america-conservatives-republicans-0215b7fdea225a0ca2cddfbebbd2438a|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="APwcd">{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/nayib-bukele-el-salvador-president-0ab3b1d63d3633c535b2cb9b60c56879|title='Coolest Dictator' to 'Philosopher King,' Nayib Bukele's Path to Re-Election in El Salvador|language=en|date=5 February 2024|access-date=10 February 2024|work=[[Associated Press]]|first1=Christopher|last1=Sherman|location=[[Mexico City]], Mexico|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240207080757/https://apnews.com/article/nayib-bukele-el-salvador-president-0ab3b1d63d3633c535b2cb9b60c56879|archive-date=7 February 2024|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/03/02/why-salvadoreans-love-their-populist-president-nayib-bukele|title=Why Salvadorans Love Their Populist President, Nayib Bukele|language=en|date=2 May 2021|access-date=2 April 2024|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403025038/https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2021/03/02/why-salvadoreans-love-their-populist-president-nayib-bukele?ppccampaignID=17210591673&ppcadID=&gad_source=1|archive-date=3 April 2024|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> a [[right-wing populist]],<ref name="EBL" />{{Rp|82}}<ref name="Pereira">{{cite book|editor-last1=Pereira|editor-first1=Anthony W.|title=Right-Wing Populism in Latin America and Beyond|date=2023 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=D6u7EAAAQBAJ|language=en|location=[[New York City]]|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|doi=10.4324/9781003311676|isbn=9781000890297|oclc=1355042572|access-date=5 April 2024|archive-date=5 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240405172129/https://books.google.com/books?id=D6u7EAAAQBAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Rp|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/f09c610a-ef51-495f-93cb-d952970757f1|title=Election Consolidates Power of El Salvador's Authoritarian President|language=en|date=1 March 2021|access-date=5 April 2024|work=[[Financial Times]]|first1=Jude|last1=Webber|first2=Michael|last2=Stott|location=[[Mexico City]] and [[London]]|url-access=subscription|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328060318/https://www.ft.com/content/f09c610a-ef51-495f-93cb-d952970757f1|url-status=live}}</ref> and a [[conservative]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://remezcla.com/features/culture/nayib-bukele-salvadorans-us/|title=Amongst Salvadorans in the US, Opinion Is Split on Conservative New President Nayib Bukele|language=en|date=4 June 2019|access-date=2 April 2024|work=Remazcla|first1=Melissa|last1=Vida|archive-date=2 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240102170524/https://remezcla.com/features/culture/nayib-bukele-salvadorans-us/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2024/2/24/24081448/cpac-trump-republicans-bukele-milei|title=How US Conservatives Fell for Two of Latin America's Most Controversial Leaders|language=en|date=24 February 2024|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]|first1=Ellen|last1=Ioanes|archive-date=3 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403021117/https://www.vox.com/2024/2/24/24081448/cpac-trump-republicans-bukele-milei|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele himself has received support from conservatives abroad in both Latin America<ref name="admirers">{{cite web|url=https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/nayib-bukeles-growing-list-of-latin-american-admirers/|title=Nayib Bukele's Growing List of Latin American Admirers|language=en|date=16 February 2023|access-date=10 March 2023|work=[[Americas Quarterly]]|first1=Will|last1=Freeman|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230216173358/https://www.americasquarterly.org/article/nayib-bukeles-growing-list-of-latin-american-admirers/|archive-date=16 February 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="TDTcon">{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/comment/2024/02/14/nayib-bukele-el-salvador-libertarian-murder-rate/|title=Nayib Bukele Is Not the Hero Conservatives Think He Is|language=en|date=14 February 2024|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|first1=Juan|last1=Rojas|archive-date=2 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240402083726/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/us/comment/2024/02/14/nayib-bukele-el-salvador-libertarian-murder-rate/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/07/16/el-salvador-in-the-grip-of-the-bukele-system_6055512_4.html|title=El Salvador in the Grip of the 'Bukele System'|language=en|date=16 July 2023|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Le Monde]]|first1=Angeline|last1=Montoya|location=[[Paris]], France|url-access=subscription|archive-date=18 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318054538/https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2023/07/16/el-salvador-in-the-grip-of-the-bukele-system_6055512_4.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Cult">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-07-25/growing-cult-of-nayib-bukele|title=Inside the Growing Cult of El Salvador's Nayib Bukele, Latin America's Political Star|language=en|date=25 July 2023|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first1=Kate|last1=Linthicum|location=[[Mexico City]], Mexico|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725100859/https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-07-25/growing-cult-of-nayib-bukele|archive-date=25 July 2023|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> and the United States,<ref name="TDTcon" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/cpac-nayib-bukele-trump-conservative-dc454b92a57fad8907b376b6eacf5b7e|title=El Salvador's President Gets Rock-Star Welcome at Conservative Gathering Outside Washington|language=en|date=22 February 2024|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Associated Press]]|first1=Adriana|last1=Gomez Licon|location=[[National Harbor, Maryland]]|archive-date=19 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319064757/https://apnews.com/article/cpac-nayib-bukele-trump-conservative-dc454b92a57fad8907b376b6eacf5b7e|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2023/4/8/23653324/nayib-bukele-trump-american-right-crime|title=Meet the MAGA Movement's New Favorite Autocrat|language=en|date=8 April 2023|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]|first1=Zack|last1=Beauchamp|archive-date=8 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408120320/https://www.vox.com/2023/4/8/23653324/nayib-bukele-trump-american-right-crime|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.politico.com/newsletters/politico-nightly/2024/06/03/magas-el-salvador-field-trip-00161345|title=MAGA's El Salvador Field Trip|language=en|date=3 June 2024|access-date=17 June 2024|work=[[Politico]]|first1=Ian|last1=Ward}}</ref> particularly for his anti-crime policies, as well as criticism for [[democratic backsliding]] and consolidating power.<ref name="Kurylo">{{cite journal|url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14678802.2025.2464604#d1e228|title=The Flawed Appeal of the Bukele Method in the Americas|language=en|date=13 February 2025|access-date=14 February 2025|journal=Conflict, Security & Development|publisher=[[Taylor & Francis]]|first1=Benjamin|last1=Kurylo|pages=1–41|doi=10.1080/14678802.2025.2464604}}</ref> His political views and government policies have been referred to by some journalists as "Bukelism"<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/es/post-opinion/2022/01/12/nayib-bukele-el-salvador-oposicion-autoritarismo-periodistas-fmln-twitter/|title=Opinión {{!}} El Autoritarismo se Afianzó en El Salvador y la Oposición Sigue Sin Comprender el Bukelismo|trans-title=Opinion {{!}} Authoritarianism is Entrenched in El Salvador and the Opposition Continues to Not Comprehend Bukelism|language=es|date=12 January 2022|access-date=12 January 2023|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first1=Ricardo|last1=Valencia|archive-date=12 January 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220112165156/https://www.washingtonpost.com/es/post-opinion/2022/01/12/nayib-bukele-el-salvador-oposicion-autoritarismo-periodistas-fmln-twitter/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.elpais.cr/2022/11/11/para-el-bukelismo-no-hay-nada-sagrado/|title=Para el "Bukelismo" No Hay Nada Sagrado|trans-title=For "Bukelism" Nothing is Sacred|language=es|work=[[El País]]|date=11 November 2022|access-date=12 January 2023|archive-date=12 January 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230112235954/https://www.elpais.cr/2022/11/11/para-el-bukelismo-no-hay-nada-sagrado/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laestrella.com.pa/opinion/entre-lineas/221218/bukelismo|title=El 'Bukelismo'|trans-title=Bukelism|language=es|work=[[La Estrella de Panamá]]|date=18 December 2022|access-date=12 January 2023|archive-date=10 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240110151818/https://www.laestrella.com.pa/opinion/entre-lineas/bukelismo-JFLE483028|url-status=live}}</ref> or the "Bukele method".<ref name="Kurylo" /><ref name="CNNtbm">{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/03/americas/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-election-preview-intl/index.html|title=In El Salvador, Self-Styled 'World's Coolest Dictator' Nayib Bukele Heads for Re-Election Amid Human Rights Concerns|language=en|date=3 February 2024|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[CNN]]|first1=Stefano|last1=Pozzebon|archive-date=3 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403023529/https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/03/americas/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-election-preview-intl/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/15/ecuador-el-salvador-war-gangs-spiral-violence-latin-america-organised-crime|title=Ecuador Is Copying El Salvador's War on Gangs – But It Will Only Add to the Spiral of Violence|language=en|date=15 January 2024|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[The Guardian]]|first1=Jordana|last1=Timerman|archive-date=3 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240403024004/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2024/jan/15/ecuador-el-salvador-war-gangs-spiral-violence-latin-america-organised-crime|url-status=live}}</ref>

Some [[Western world|Western]] journalists have compared Bukele to Trump, citing Bukele's style of governance, government policies, rhetoric, and criticism of the press as similar to Trump's.<ref name="APpop" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://therealnews.com/el-salvadors-model-of-authoritarianism-is-spreading-to-countries-like-costa-rica-and-honduras|title=El Salvador's Model of Authoritarianism May Be Spreading to Countries Like Costa Rica and Honduras|language=en|date=17 August 2023|access-date=18 August 2023|work=[[The Real News Network]]|first1=Michael|last1=Fox|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230817203757/https://therealnews.com/el-salvadors-model-of-authoritarianism-is-spreading-to-countries-like-costa-rica-and-honduras|archive-date=17 August 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/05/25/bukele-autocrat-playbook-tiktok/|title=El Salvador's Leader is Updating the Autocrat Playbook for the TikTok Generation|language=en|date=25 May 2021|access-date=18 August 2023|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first1=Felipe|last1=De La Hoz|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221128102952/https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2021/05/25/bukele-autocrat-playbook-tiktok/|archive-date=28 November 2022|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/15/maga-argentina-javier-milei-trump-south-america-election/|title=Javier Milei is Bringing the Spirit of Trump to Argentina|language=en|date=15 August 2023|access-date=18 August 2023|work=[[The Daily Telegraph|The Telegraph]]|first1=Katherine|last1=Dee|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230815223344/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2023/08/15/maga-argentina-javier-milei-trump-south-america-election/|archive-date=15 August 2023|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In 2019, ''[[Foreign Policy]]''{{'s}} Melissa Vida referred to Bukele as "El Salvador's Trump"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/06/16/el-salvadors-trump-takes-office/|title=El Salvador's Trump Takes Office|language=en|date=16 June 2019|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Foreign Policy]]|first1=Melissa|last1=Vida|url-access=subscription|archive-date=14 October 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014185733/https://foreignpolicy.com/2019/06/16/el-salvadors-trump-takes-office/|url-status=live}}</ref> and ''[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]]''{{'s}} Hilary Goodfriend called him "the Donald Trump of Central America".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://jacobin.com/2019/07/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-donald-trump|title=The Donald Trump of Central America|language=en|date=26 July 2019|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]]|first1=Hilary|last1=Goodfriend|archive-date=25 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625045123/https://jacobin.com/2019/07/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-donald-trump|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump after his victory in the [[2024 United States presidential election]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/us/global-reaction-us-presidential-election-2024-11-06/|title=Trump's U.S. Election Win: How World Leaders Reacted|language=en|date=6 November 2024|access-date=6 November 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|editor1-first=Jonathan|editor1-last=Oatis|editor2-first=Alex|editor2-last=Richardson}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latintimes.com/milei-bukele-other-latin-american-leaders-promptly-congratulate-trump-his-victory-564869|title=Milei, Bukele and Other Latin American Leaders Promptly Congratulate Trump on His Victory|language=en|date=6 November 2024|access-date=6 November 2024|work=[[The Latin Times]]|first1=Pedro|last1=Camacho}}</ref> ''[[The Economist]]'' has described Bukele as politically "hard right" and compared his policies and ideological views to Argentinian president [[Javier Milei]], former Brazilian president [[Jair Bolsonaro]], and former Chilean presidential candidate [[José Antonio Kast]].<ref name="BMKB">{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/04/01/latin-americas-new-hard-right-bukele-milei-kast-and-bolsonaro|title=Latin America's New Hard Right: Bukele, Milei, Kast and Bolsonaro|language=en|date=1 April 2024|access-date=2 April 2024|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|location=[[Santiago]], Chile|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401183226/https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2024/04/01/latin-americas-new-hard-right-bukele-milei-kast-and-bolsonaro|archive-date=1 April 2024|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

Bukele is a critic of [[George Soros]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.eleconomista.com.mx/internacionales/Bukele-lanza-criticas-a-Soros-por-injerencia-en-El-Salvador-20231212-0010.html|title=Bukele Lanza Críticas a Soros por Injerencia en El Salvador|trans-title=Bukele Criticizes Soros for Interference in El Salvador|language=es|date=12 December 2013|access-date=24 February 2024|work=[[El Economista (Mexico)|El Economista]]|first1=Jordi|last1=Hernández|archive-date=1 April 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240401165907/https://www.eleconomista.com.mx/internacionales/Bukele-lanza-criticas-a-Soros-por-injerencia-en-El-Salvador-20231212-0010.html|url-status=live}}</ref> saying in May 2023 that "in all the countries of Latin America, there are outlets and 'journalists' paid by Soros" ("{{lang|es|en todos los países de Latinoamérica hay medios y 'periodistas' pagados por Soros}}").<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/es/nayib-bukele-en-latinoam%C3%A9rica-hay-periodistas-pagados-por-soros/a-65497538|title=Bukele: en Latinoamérica Hay Periodistas "Pagados por Soros"|trans-title=Bukele: in Latin America There are Journalists "Paid by Soros"|language=es|date=3 May 2023|access-date=24 February 2024|work=[[Deutsche Welle]]|archive-date=18 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240318144721/https://www.dw.com/es/nayib-bukele-en-latinoam%C3%A9rica-hay-periodistas-pagados-por-soros/a-65497538|url-status=live}}</ref> In February 2024, Bukele spoke at the American [[Conservative Political Action Conference]] (CPAC) and accused Soros of attempting to "dictate public politics and laws" ("{{lang|es|dictar políticas públicas y leyes}}") in El Salvador.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/bukele-defiende-su-modelo-y-urge-a-eeuu-seguirlo|title=Bukele Defiende su Modelo y Urge a EE.UU. Seguirlo|trans-title=Bukele Defends His Model and Urges the U.S. to Follow It|language=es|date=23 February 2024|access-date=1 April 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Yolanda|last1=Magaña|archive-date=17 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240317121507/https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/bukele-defiende-su-modelo-y-urge-a-eeuu-seguirlo|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele also expressed opposition to [[globalism]], saying that "it's already dead" in El Salvador.<ref name="BMKB" />

=== Social issues ===

In 2023, Celia Medrano described Bukele's positions on social issues as "flexible" ("{{lang|es|flexibles}}") and a "liquid ideology" ("{{lang|es|ideología líquida}}"). She explained that Bukele changes his positions to appease as many voters as possible and to gauge public opinion on issues such as [[Recognition of same-sex unions in El Salvador|same-sex marriage]] and [[Abortion in El Salvador|abortion]].<ref name="EP abortion">{{cite web|url=https://elpais.com/sociedad/2023-03-26/el-giro-de-bukele-con-el-aborto-de-defenderlo-a-calificarlo-de-genocidio.html|title=El Giro de Bukele con el Aborto: de Defenderlo a Calificarlo de "Genocidio"|trans-title=Bukele's Turn with Abortion: From Defending It to Calling It "Genocide"|language=es|date=26 March 2023|access-date=10 September 2023|work=[[El País]]|first1=Noor|last1=Mahtani|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326111829/https://elpais.com/sociedad/2023-03-26/el-giro-de-bukele-con-el-aborto-de-defenderlo-a-calificarlo-de-genocidio.html|archive-date=26 March 2023|url-status=live|url-access=registration}}</ref>

Bukele stated in 2014 that he was an ally of the [[LGBT community]], supported their [[LGBT rights in El Salvador|civil rights]], and opposed discrimination against LGBT individuals.<ref name="Aguilar Vasquez" />{{Rp|167}} In August 2021, Bukele proposed constitutional reform to legalize same-sex marriage in El Salvador. The proposal would have changed text in the constitution that defined marriage as being between "a man and a woman" ("{{lang|es|hombre y mujer}}") to defining marriage as between "spouses" ("{{lang|es|cónyuges}}"), and would have prohibited discrimination based on [[sexual orientation]]. The earliest Bukele's proposal could have gone into effect would have been 2027, since it would have to be approved by two consecutive sessions of the Legislative Assembly.<ref name="Observador">{{cite web|url=https://observador.cr/bukele-busca-que-se-apruebe-el-aborto-terapeutico-y-la-union-homosexual/|title=Bukele Busca que se Apruebe el Aborto Terapéutico y la Unión Homosexual|trans-title=Bukele Seeks to Approve Therapeutic Abortion and Same-Sex Unions|language=es|date=18 August 2021|access-date=27 March 2024|work=El Observador|archive-date=29 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210829110806/https://observador.cr/bukele-busca-que-se-apruebe-el-aborto-terapeutico-y-la-union-homosexual/|url-status=live}}</ref> Bukele stated the following month that the proposed constitutional reform would not legalize same-sex marriage, posting on Facebook that the original text would remain intact.<ref name="Reuters social">{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/salvadoran-president-rules-out-allowing-abortion-same-sex-marriage-2021-09-17/|title=Salvadoran President Rules Out Allowing Abortion, Same-Sex Marriage|language=en|date=17 September 2021|access-date=30 April 2022|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|editor1-first=Mark|editor1-last=Porter|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220704005605/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/salvadoran-president-rules-out-allowing-abortion-same-sex-marriage-2021-09-17/|archive-date=4 July 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2024, Bukele stated that his government would remove "all traces" of "[[Gender studies|gender ideologies]] in schools and colleges".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-03-01/bukele-attacks-gender-theory-and-removes-it-from-public-schools-in-el-salvador.html|title=Bukele Attacks Gender Theory and Removes It from Public Schools in El Salvador|language=en|date=1 March 2024|access-date=28 March 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Carlos S.|last1=Maldonado|location=[[Mexico City]], Mexico|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328195312/https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-03-01/bukele-attacks-gender-theory-and-removes-it-from-public-schools-in-el-salvador.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://ticotimes.net/2024/03/02/el-salvadors-crackdown-on-gender-ideology-draws-backlash|title=El Salvador's Crackdown on Gender Ideology Draws Backlash|language=en|date=2 March 2024|access-date=28 March 2024|work=[[The Tico Times]]|archive-date=28 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240328195313/https://ticotimes.net/2024/03/02/el-salvadors-crackdown-on-gender-ideology-draws-backlash|url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2024, Bukele fired 300 bureaucrats from the ministry of culture for promoting policies that were "incompatible" with his emphasis on "patriotic and family values".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-fire-culture-ministry-employees-with-incompatible-agendas-2024-06-27/|title=El Salvador Plans Mass Firing of Culture Ministry Employees|language=en|date=27 June 2024|access-date=6 July 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Sarah|last2=Morland|editor1-first=Brendan|editor1-last=O'Boyle|editor2-first=Rosalba|editor2-last=O'Brien|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref>

El Salvador has one of the world's strictest abortion laws, banning it in all circumstances with no exceptions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://elpais.com/internacional/2021-09-18/bukele-excluye-al-aborto-y-el-matrimonio-igualitario-de-su-propuesta-de-reforma-a-la-constitucion.html|title=Bukele Excluye al Aborto y el Matrimonio Igualitario de su Propuesta de Reforma a la Constitución|trans-title=Bukele Excludes Abortion and Marriage Equality in His Proposed Constitutional Reform|language=es|date=18 September 2021|access-date=27 November 2023|work=[[El País]]|first1=Carlos S.|last1=Maldonado|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230330034107/https://elpais.com/internacional/2021-09-18/bukele-excluye-al-aborto-y-el-matrimonio-igualitario-de-su-propuesta-de-reforma-a-la-constitucion.html|archive-date=30 March 2023|url-status=live|url-access=registration}}</ref> In 2013, when a Salvadoran woman known as "Beatriz" was denied an abortion despite doctors saying that she would die in childbirth, Bukele called those who denied her an abortion "fanatics" ("{{lang|es|fanáticos}}"). Bukele stated in October 2018 that he only supported abortion in cases where the mother's life was at risk, and expressed opposition to abortion on demand. Shortly after becoming president, he opposed abortion under any circumstances. In an interview with Puerto Rican rapper [[Residente|René Pérez]], Bukele said that "someday, we are going to recognize that [abortion] is a great [[genocide]]" ("{{lang|es|algún día, nos vamos a dar cuenta de que es un gran genocidio}}").<ref name="EP abortion" /> Bukele's August 2021 constitutional-reform proposal considered legalizing abortion in cases where the mother's life was at risk, adding that the proposal would have recognized the right to life for mother and child.<ref name="Observador" /> He changed his mind the following month, saying that abortion would not be decriminalized and recognizing the "RIGHT TO LIFE (from the moment of conception)" of the unborn. Bukele also ruled out [[euthanasia]].<ref name="Reuters social" />

=== Central American unity ===

{{Tweet
| name        = Nayib Bukele
| username    = nayibbukele
| image       = Nayib Bukele's September 2024 Twitter profile picture (cropped).jpg
| lang        = es
| text        = Aunque por ahora suena a utopía, el sentido común debería apuntar a la unificación de Centroamérica en un solo país.
| translation = Although for now it sounds like a [[utopia]], common sense should point to the unification of Central America into a single country.
| date        = 27 January 2017
| ID          = 825174618789048320
| reference   = <ref>{{Cite tweet|last=Bukele|first=Nayib|author-link=Nayib Bukele|user=nayibbukele|number=825174618789048320|date=27 January 2017|title=Aunque por ahora suena a utopía, el sentido común debería apuntar a la unificación de Centroamérica en un solo país.|trans-title=Although for now it sounds like a utopia, common sense should point to the unification of Central America into a single country.|language=es|access-date=10 April 2024}}</ref>
| width       = 275px
}}

Bukele is a proponent of [[Central American reunification]], an ideology that calls for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua to reestablish the [[Federal Republic of Central America]], and has stated that Central America should be "one single nation" in some of his speeches.<ref name="EPexpans" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telemundo.com/noticias/noticias-telemundo/el-presidente-salvadoreno-dice-que-su-pais-merece-un-trato-distinto-al-de-honduras-y-tmna3342463|title=El Presidente Salvadoreño Dice que su País Merece un Trato Distinto al de Honduras y Guatemala|trans-title=The Salvadoran President Says that his Country Deserves Different Treatment from that of Honduras and Guatemala|language=es|date=16 July 2019|access-date=26 May 2024|work=[[Telemundo|Telemundo Noticias]]}}</ref> In January 2024, he reaffirmed on Twitter that he believes that Central America should unite as a single country; each individual country is small and lacks natural resources, but a unified Central American population and biodiversity would help strengthen the region. In his tweet, Bukele conceded that he needed "the will of the peoples" ("{{lang|es|la voluntad de los pueblos}}") of Central America to unite the region.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.contrapunto.com.sv/nayib-bukele-centroamerica-deberia-ser-un-solo-pais/|title=Nayib Bukele: "Centroamérica Debería Ser Un Solo País"|trans-title=Nayib Bukele: "Central America Should Be One Single Country"|language=es|date=4 January 2024|access-date=10 April 2024|work=Contra Punto}}</ref>

Bukele was the president ''[[pro tempore]]'' of the [[Central American Integration System]] (SICA), an economic and political organization, from 5 June to 22 December 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sanpedrosun.com/government/2019/06/08/liii-summit-of-the-heads-of-state-and-government-of-the-central-american-integration-system-sica/|title=LIII Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Central American Integration System (SICA)|date=8 June 2019|access-date=14 July 2022|language=en|work=[[The San Pedro Sun]]|archive-date=15 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715023839/https://www.sanpedrosun.com/government/2019/06/08/liii-summit-of-the-heads-of-state-and-government-of-the-central-american-integration-system-sica/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sanpedrosun.com/government/2019/12/24/liv-summit-of-the-heads-of-state-and-government-of-the-central-american-integration-system-sica/|title=LIV Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Central American Integration System (SICA)|date=24 December 2019|access-date=14 July 2022|language=en|work=[[The San Pedro Sun]]|archive-date=15 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715023840/https://www.sanpedrosun.com/government/2019/12/24/liv-summit-of-the-heads-of-state-and-government-of-the-central-american-integration-system-sica/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://newsinamerica.com/en/othernews/2019/guatemala-to-hand-over-sica-pro-tempore-presidency-to-el-salvador/|title=Guatemala to Hand over SICA Pro Tempore Presidency to El Salvador|language=en|work=Periodico Digital|date=13 June 2019|access-date=14 July 2022|archive-date=15 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715023839/https://newsinamerica.com/en/othernews/2019/guatemala-to-hand-over-sica-pro-tempore-presidency-to-el-salvador/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In February 2020, Bukele signed an agreement with the Guatemalan government to remove restrictions on border crossings between El Salvador and Guatemala and designate flights between the countries as "domestic" flights to promote tourism. The agreement gave Bukele's government the ability to build a port on the [[Caribbean Sea]] in Guatemalan territory, that would give El Salvador access to the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. He described the agreement as "the greatest step to the integration of Central America in the last 180 years" ("{{lang|es|el mayor paso en la integración de Centroamérica en los últimos 180 años}}").<ref>{{cite web|url=https://latinamericanpost.com/economy-en/guatemala-and-el-salvador-seek-central-american-unity/|title=Guatemala and El Salvador Seek Central American Unity|language=en|date=5 February 2020|access-date=10 April 2024|work=Latin American Post|first1=Juliana|last1=Suárez}}</ref>

According to Will Freeman of the [[Council on Foreign Relations]], Bukele has styled himself as the "second coming of [[Francisco Morazán]]", a Honduran politician who was [[List of heads of state of the Federal Republic of Central America|president of the Federal Republic of Central America]] in the 1820s and 1830s.<ref name="Cult" /> ''El Faro''{{'s}} Gabriel Labrador compared him to 18th-century military officer and Venezuela independence leader [[Simón Bolívar]] for wanting to form a "union of the [Central American] people".<ref name="EPexpans" />

=== Emigration ===

In an interview with [[Vice News|''VICE News'']]' Krishna Andavolu shortly after Bukele's inauguration, he said that he "share[s] the same concern President Trump [has with] immigration, but for different reasons&nbsp;[...] [Trump] doesn't want our people to go; I don't want our people to leave."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR77T80fzXg|title=El Salvador's New President Thinks He Can Turn The Country Around|language=en|publisher=[[Vice News|VICE News]]|website=[[YouTube]]|date=19 June 2019|access-date=28 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428193717/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XR77T80fzXg|archive-date=28 April 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> In a 2021 interview on [[Fox News]]' ''[[Tucker Carlson Tonight]]'', Bukele attributed [[Central American migrant caravans|mass emigration]] from Central America to the United States to the region's "lack of economic opportunity" and "lack of security" and described the level of emigration to the United States as "immoral". He argued that emigration strained the United States and impeded domestic efforts to improve living conditions in El Salvador.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/politics/salvadoran-president-tells-tucker-mass-immigration-not-profitable-feeding-on-dependency|title=Salvadoran President Tells Tucker: Mass Immigration 'Not Profitable,' 'Feeding on Dependency'|language=en|date=16 March 2021|access-date=8 September 2021|work=[[Fox News]]|first1=Charles|last1=Creitz|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210908134352/https://www.foxnews.com/politics/salvadoran-president-tells-tucker-mass-immigration-not-profitable-feeding-on-dependency|archive-date=8 September 2021|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Public image ==

=== Relationship with the press ===

{{Quote box
| align  = right
| width  = 290px
| quote  = There is a before and an after Nayib Bukele for El{{nbsp}}Salvador. ({{lang|es|Hay un antes y un después de Nayib Bukele para El Salvador.}})
| author = ''[[Forbes|Forbes Central America]]''
| source = 20 June 2024<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://lanoticiasv.com/forbes-centroamerica-el-salvador-de-bukele/|title=Forbes Centroamérica: El Salvador de Bukele|trans-title=Forbes Central America: Bukele's El Salvador|language=es|date=20 June 2024|access-date=20 June 2024|work=La Noticia SV|first1=Silvia|last1=Hernández|location=El Salvador}}</ref>
}}

Bukele and a number of his government officials have attacked journalists and news outlets in speeches and on social media.<ref name="Pereira" />{{Rp|29–30}}<ref name="Reuters troll">{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/el-salvador-politics-media/|title=Trolls, Propaganda and Fear Stoke Bukele's Media Machine in El Salvador|language=en|date=29 November 2022|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Sarah|last1=Kinosian|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> He has dismissed critics of his government as spreading "[[fake news]]"<ref name="Reuters troll" /> and accused them of being "[[Mercenary|mercenaries]]".<ref name="HWRlvt">{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/03/17/bukeles-legislative-victory-threatens-press-freedom-el-salvador|title=Bukele's Legislative Victory Threatens Press Freedom in El Salvador|language=en|date=17 March 2021|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[Human Rights Watch]]|first1=José Miguel|last1=Vivanco}}</ref> Bukele has also stated that journalism was once a "noble career that sought the truth" ("{{lang|es|carrera noble que buscaba la verdad}}") that had supposedly become [[propaganda]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/bukele-el-periodismo-realmente-es-propaganda|title=Bukele: "El Periodismo Realmente es Propaganda"|trans-title=Bukele: "Journalism in Reality is Propaganda"|language=es|date=30 August 2024|access-date=30 August 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Yolanda|last1=Magaña}}</ref> Journalists have been harassed and threatened online by Bukele's supporters. The El Salvador Journalists Association (APES) estimated that by November 2022, at least a dozen journalists had fled El Salvador since Bukele took office citing fears for their safety.<ref name="Reuters troll" /> APES has also stated that journalists have experienced threats, harassment, [[doxxing]], intimidation, surveillance, and criminal prosecution during Bukele's presidency.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cpj.org/2024/10/a-culture-of-silence-threatens-press-freedom-under-el-salvador-president-bukele/|title=A "Culture of Silence" Threatens Press Freedom Under El Salvador President Bukele|language=en|date=11 October 2024|access-date=12 November 2024|work=[[Committee to Protect Journalists]]|first1=Dánae|last1=Vílchez}}</ref>

According to political scientists, El Salvador has experienced democratic backsliding under Bukele as he has dismantled democratic institutions, curtailed political and civil liberties, and attacked independent media and the political opposition.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=How Oppositions Fight Back|language=en|journal=[[Journal of Democracy]]|publisher=[[Johns Hopkins University Press]]|date=2023|first1=Laura|last1=Gamboa|volume=34|issue=3|pages=90–104|issn=1086-3214|doi=10.1353/jod.2023.a900435}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title=Democratic Backsliding: El Salvador's State of Emergency and Use of Violence|journal=[[Georgetown Journal of International Affairs]]|date=2024|first1=Melissa|last1=Martinez|volume=25|issue=1|pages=168–174|doi=10.1353/gia.2024.a934900|issn=2471-8831}}</ref> Journalists, politicians, and political analysts have described Bukele as an [[Autocracy|autocrat]],<ref name="BMKB" /><ref name="Vox">{{cite web|url=https://www.vox.com/2023/4/8/23653324/nayib-bukele-trump-american-right-crime|title=Meet the MAGA Movement's New Favorite Autocrat|language=en|date=8 April 2023|access-date=8 April 2023|work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]]|first1=Zack|last1=Beauchamp|archive-date=8 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408120320/https://www.vox.com/2023/4/8/23653324/nayib-bukele-trump-american-right-crime|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://americasquarterly.org/article/behind-nayib-bukeles-shocking-turn/|title=Behind Nayib Bukele's "Shocking" Turn|language=en|date=29 April 2020|access-date=13 October 2020|work=[[Americas Quarterly]]|first1=Brendan|last1=O'Boyle|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201026153139/https://americasquarterly.org/article/behind-nayib-bukeles-shocking-turn/|archive-date=26 October 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> an [[authoritarian]],<ref name="TEcau">{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2023/03/16/el-salvadors-authoritarian-president-is-becoming-a-regional-role-model|title=El Salvador's Authoritarian President is Becoming a Regional Role Model|language=en|date=16 March 2023|access-date=2 April 2024|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|location=[[Mexico City]] and [[San Salvador]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230316164010/https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2023/03/16/el-salvadors-authoritarian-president-is-becoming-a-regional-role-model|archive-date=16 March 2023|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dw.com/en/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-deploys-troops-after-murder-spike/a-59799267|title=El Salvador: Nayib Bukele Deploys Troops after Murder Spike|language=en|date=11 December 2021|access-date=16 December 2021|work=[[Deutsche Welle]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211216151333/https://www.dw.com/en/el-salvador-nayib-bukele-deploys-troops-after-murder-spike/a-59799267|archive-date=16 December 2021|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/world/americas/el-salvador-nayib-bukele.html|title=Young Leader Vowed Change in El Salvador but Wields Same Heavy Hand|language=en|access-date=13 October 2020|date=5 May 2020|work=[[The New York Times]]|first1=Natalie|last1=Kitroeff|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014015550/https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/05/world/americas/el-salvador-nayib-bukele.html|archive-date=14 October 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-05-15/coronavirus-unmasks-el-salvador-s-authoritarian-in-waiting|title=Coronavirus Unmasks El Salvador's Authoritarian-in-Waiting|language=en|date=15 May 2020|access-date=13 October 2020|work=[[Bloomberg News]]|first1=Mac|last1=Margolis|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201018113454/https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2020-05-15/coronavirus-unmasks-el-salvador-s-authoritarian-in-waiting|archive-date=18 October 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> a [[Political strongman|strongman]],<ref name="FTCECOT" /><ref name="Bergengruen" /><ref name="admirers" /><ref name="Vox" /> a {{lang|es|[[caudillo]]}},<ref name="TEcau" /><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/09/11/nayib-bukele-is-wrecking-democracy-in-el-salvador|title=Nayib Bukele is Wrecking Democracy in El Salvador|language=en|date=11 September 2021|access-date=9 October 2022|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221009075016/https://www.economist.com/leaders/2021/09/11/nayib-bukele-is-wrecking-democracy-in-el-salvador|archive-date=9 October 2022|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/the-american-rights-new-authoritarian|title=The American Right's New Authoritarian Squeeze|language=en|date=20 March 2023|access-date=8 April 2023|work=The UnPopulist|first1=Daniel M.|last1=Rothschild|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230409005047/https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/the-american-rights-new-authoritarian|archive-date=9 April 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> and a "[[millennial]] dictator".<ref name="popularity" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/08/nayib-bukele-salvador-millenial-dictator-authoritarianism.html|title=Meet Latin America's First Millennial Dictator|language=en|date=6 August 2021|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|first1=Manuel|last1=Meléndez-Sánchez}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/leaders/2020/05/07/nayib-bukele-may-want-to-become-latin-americas-first-millennial-dictator|title=Nayib Bukele May Want to Become Latin America's First Millennial Dictator|language=en|date=7 May 2020|access-date=2 April 2024|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|url-access=subscription}}</ref> He has ironically referred to himself in his Twitter profile as the "Dictator of El Salvador",<ref name="APdic">{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/technology-bitcoin-business-el-salvador-san-salvador-4ee916f3349ad8c50b4454607a81945d|title=El Salvador President Changes Twitter Profile to 'Dictator'|language=en|date=20 September 2021|access-date=21 September 2021|archive-date=21 September 2021|work=[[Associated Press]]|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210921000743/https://apnews.com/article/technology-bitcoin-business-el-salvador-san-salvador-4ee916f3349ad8c50b4454607a81945d|url-status=live}}</ref> "the coolest dictator in the world"<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/26/naybib-bukele-el-salvador-president-coolest-dictator|title=Nayib Bukele Calls Himself the 'World's Coolest Dictator' – But Is He Joking?|language=en|date=26 September 2021|access-date=12 July 2023|work=[[The Guardian]]|first1=Mat|last1=Youkee|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|issn=0029-7712|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230705074601/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/sep/26/naybib-bukele-el-salvador-president-coolest-dictator|archive-date=5 July 2023|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/09/12/the-rise-of-nayib-bukele-el-salvadors-authoritarian-president|title=The Rise of Nayib Bukele, El Salvador's Authoritarian President|language=en|date=5 September 2022|access-date=2 April 2024|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|first1=Johnathan|last1=Blitzer}}</ref> (although news outlets often render this as the "world's coolest dictator"),<ref name="APwcd" /><ref name="CNNtbm" /><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/6660521/nayib-bukele-el-salvador-president-dictator-gangs-reelection/|title='World's Coolest Dictator' Nayib Bukele Claims El Salvador Presidential Re-Election|language=en|date=4 February 2024|access-date=2 April 2024|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|first1=Megan|last1=Janetsky|first2=Marcos|last2=Alemán|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> the "[[Emperor]] of El Salvador",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/thousands-protest-el-salvador-against-bukele-government-2021-10-17/|title=Thousands in El Salvador Join Protests Against Bukele Government|language=en|date=18 October 2021|access-date=21 October 2021|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|first2=Cassandra|last2=Garrison|editor1-first=Nick|editor1-last=Zieminski|editor2-first=Edwina|editor2-last=Gibbs|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021184533/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/thousands-protest-el-salvador-against-bukele-government-2021-10-17/|archive-date=21 October 2021|url-status=live}}</ref> the "[[Chief executive officer|CEO]] of El Salvador",<ref name="FTCEO">{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/0241105c-ab30-40f6-ac87-b879ffb6c84c|title=El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele Steps Down for Contentious Re-Election Bid|language=en|date=1 December 2023|access-date=1 December 2023|work=[[Financial Times]]|first1=Christine|last1=Murray|location=[[Mexico City]], Mexico|url-access=subscription|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231202014905/https://www.ft.com/content/0241105c-ab30-40f6-ac87-b879ffb6c84c |archive-date=2 December 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> and the "[[Philosopher king|Philosopher King]]".<ref name="APwcd" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2023/12/01/bukele-cambia-descripcion-en-x-de-presidente-de-el-salvador-a-rey-filosofo/|title=Bukele Cambia Descripción en X de Presidente de El Salvador a "Rey Filósofo"|trans-title=Bukele Changes X Description from President of El Salvador to "Philosopher King"|language=es|date=1 December 2023|access-date=2 April 2024|work=[[Infobae]]|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref> Eduardo Escobar, a lawyer with Citizen Action, a non-governmental organization, stated that Bukele's use of his Twitter profile was part of his strategy to "ridicule the feelings of the public or the opposition".<ref name="APdic" />

In November 2021, Bukele introduced a bill known as the "Foreign Agents Law" ("{{lang|es|Ley de Agentes Extranjeros}}") to the Legislative Assembly with the goal of "prohibiting foreign interference" ("{{lang|es|prohibir la injerencia extranjera}}") in Salvadoran political affairs. Although he stated that the law was modeled on the United States' [[Foreign Agents Registration Act]], critics instead compared the Foreign Agents Law to Nicaraguan laws that exercise press [[censorship]] by shutting down organizations and arresting journalists.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elpais.com/internacional/2021-11-11/bukele-emula-una-de-las-leyes-represivas-de-ortega-para-acallar-la-critica-en-el-salvador.html|title=Bukele Presenta una Ley para Acallar las Voces Críticas en El Salvador|trans-title=Bukele Presents a Law to Silence Critical Voices in El Salvador|language=es|date=11 November 2021|access-date=12 November 2021|work=[[El País]]|first1=Wilfredo|last1=Miranda|location=[[San José, Costa Rica|San José]], Costa Rica|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111220816/https://elpais.com/internacional/2021-11-11/bukele-emula-una-de-las-leyes-represivas-de-ortega-para-acallar-la-critica-en-el-salvador.html|archive-date=11 November 2021|url-status=live|url-access=registration}}</ref> In April 2022, the Legislative Assembly passed a law that allowed courts to sentence journalists to 10 to 15 years' imprisonment for reproducing or transmitting messages from gangs at the beginning of the country's gang crackdown. The APES described the law as "a clear attempt at censorship of media".<ref name="TGagl">{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/06/el-salvador-press-censorship-gang-law|title=El Salvador Press Cries Censorship as Anti-Gang Law Targets Media|language=en|date=6 April 2022|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> According to a September 2024 [[Infobae]] report, leaked audio recordings made by Alejandro Muyshondt in August 2020 supposedly recorded him and [[Ernesto Castro]], then Bukele's personal secretary, agreeing to spy on the newspapers ''El Diario de Hoy'', ''El Faro'', ''La Prensa Gráfica'', and ''Revista Factum''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elfaro.net/en/202409/el_salvador/27558/salvadoran-president-rsquo-s-office-ordered-espionage-against-journalists-and-political-opponents|title=Salvadoran President's Office Ordered Espionage Against Journalists and Political Opponents|language=en|date=17 September 2024|access-date=18 September 2024|work=[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]|first1=Óscar|last1=Martínez|first2=Gabriel|last2=Labrador}}</ref>

A few weeks after ''El Faro'' alleged that Bukele's government had negotiated with gangs in 2020 to reduce the country's homicide rate, Bukele launched an investigation of ''El Faro'' for [[money laundering]].<ref name="popularity" /> Although the office of the attorney general did not begin such an investigation, ''El Faro'' was subject to tax audits that Human Rights Watch's José Miguel Vivanco described as "selective and abusive". The audits were suspended in March 2021 after a Supreme Court order citing concerns about a risk to freedom of expression.<ref name="HWRlvt" /> In 2022, [[Amnesty International]] stated that at least 22 Salvadoran journalists (most of whom worked for ''El Faro'') had their phones tapped by the Salvadoran government using the Israeli [[Pegasus (spyware)|Pegasus]] spyware.<ref name="TGagl" /> ''El Faro'' moved its headquarters to [[San José, Costa Rica]] in April 2023, saying that it was trying to avoid "fabricated accusations" from Bukele's government.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/apr/19/el-faro-el-salvador-moves-nayib-bukele|title=El Salvador News Outlet Relocates to Costa Rica to Avoid Bukele's Crackdown|language=en|date=19 April 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[The Guardian]]|first1=Luke|last1=Taylor}}</ref> In 2025, Bukele claimed that most independent journalists and media outlets were part of a supposed "global money laundering operation" ("''operación mundial de lavado de dinero''"), referring to the [[United States Agency for International Development]] (USAID).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lanoticiasv.com/presidente-bukele-afirma-que-la-gran-mayoria-de-los-periodistas-y-medios-independientes-son-en-realidad-parte-de-una-operacion-mundial-de-lavado-de-dinero/|title=Presidente Bukele Afirma que "la Gran Mayoría de los Periodistas y Medios "Independientes" son, en Realidad, Parte de Una Operación Mundial de Lavado de Dinero"|trans-title=President Bukele Affirms that "the Vast Majority of "Independent" Journalists and New Outlets Are, in Reality, Part of a Global Money Laundering Operation"|language=es|date=8 February 2025|access-date=9 February 2025|work=La Noticia SV|first1=Benjamín|last1=Beltrán}}</ref>

=== Hosting of international events ===

[[File:R'Bonney Nola Gabriel y Nayib Bukele 2 (cropped).jpg|thumb|alt=R'Bonney Gabriel and Nayib Bukele sitting in chairs, facing each other|Bukele with Miss Universe 2022 [[R'Bonney Gabriel]] in October 2023]]

During Bukele's presidency, El Salvador has hosted a number of international sporting events and one edition of the [[Miss Universe]] beauty pageant. Some experts have described El Salvador's hosting of such events as an attempt at [[sportswashing]].<ref name="sportswashing">{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/nayib-bukele-el-salvador-miss-universe-democracy-a9fef908d32f108b019a6e41788d1862|title=El Salvador's Miss Universe Pageant Drawing Attention at Crucial Moment for President|language=en|date=18 November 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[Associated Press]]|first1=Megan|last1=Janetsky|location=[[Mexico City]], Mexico}}</ref><ref name="sportswashing2">{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/nayib-bukele-sportswashing-el-salvador-17b7a710d63f0c0a1c4b2d397a74155d|title=Amid Criticism over His War on Gangs, El Salvador's President Bukele Turns to Sports|language=en|date=6 July 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[Associated Press]]|first1=Megan|last1=Janetsky|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref>

Bukele has promoted [[surfing]] as part of El Salvador's tourism market. He designated part of El Salvador's [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]] coastline in the [[La Libertad Department (El Salvador)|La Libertad Department]] as "Surf City",<ref>{{cite web|url=https://nacla.org/el-salvador-surfing-new-land-free|title=El Salvador: Surfing in the "New Land of the Free?"|language=en|date=1 May 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[North American Congress on Latin America]]|first1=Julián|last1=Reingold}}</ref> where the [[2021 ISA World Surfing Games|2021]] and [[2023 ISA World Surfing Games]] were hosted.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2021-06-06/olympics-qualifying-surfing-el-salvador-tokyo-games|title=After Memorable Surfing Championships in El Salvador, Focus Shifts to Olympics|language=en|date=6 June 2021|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first1=Kevin|last1=Baxter|location=[[La Libertad, La Libertad|La Libertad]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210607001810/https://www.latimes.com/sports/olympics/story/2021-06-06/olympics-qualifying-surfing-el-salvador-tokyo-games|archive-date=7 June 2021|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.infobae.com/aroundtherings/articles/2023/06/09/el-salvador-hosted-the-2023-isa-world-surfing-games-show-qualifiers-for-paris-and-world-champion-title-for-mexico-and-brazil/|title=El Salvador Hosted the 2023 ISA World Surfing Games Show: Qualifiers for Paris and World Champion Title for Mexico and Brazil|language=en|date=9 June 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[Infobae]]}}</ref> El Salvador also hosted the [[2023 Central American and Caribbean Games]]. At the tournament's opening ceremony, Bukele rebuked critics by saying that he was "not a dictator" and told them to ask everyday Salvadorans what they thought about his "supposed dictatorship".<ref name="sportswashing2" />

In January 2023, Bukele announced that El Salvador would host the [[Miss Universe 2023]] pageant; the last time El Salvador had hosted Miss Universe was in [[Miss Universe 1975|1975]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.hola.com/us-es/entretenimiento/20230118341674/proximo-miss-universe-2023-sera-el-salvador/|title=La Próxima Edición de Miss Universe se Llevará a Cabo en Latinoamérica|trans-title=The Next Edition of Miss Universe Will Be Held in Latin America|language=es|date=18 January 2023|access-date=26 January 2023|work=Hola!|first1=Monica|last1=Tirado|location=[[Miami]], Florida|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230124031204/https://www.hola.com/us-es/entretenimiento/20230118341674/proximo-miss-universe-2023-sera-el-salvador/|archive-date=24 January 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> At the pageant, Bukele said that Miss Universe had given El Salvador the opportunity to "show the world what we are capable of".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/miss-universe-nicaragua-sheynnis-palacios-1c1f0c09dd7913a4c81dbbea9dcf2c9a|title=Miss Nicaragua Sheynnis Palacios Wins Miss Universe Crown|language=en|date=19 November 2023|access-date=19 November 2023|work=[[Associated Press]]|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231119150607/https://apnews.com/article/miss-universe-nicaragua-sheynnis-palacios-1c1f0c09dd7913a4c81dbbea9dcf2c9a|archive-date=19 November 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> On the day of the pageant, 300 members of the Movement for Victims of the State of Emergency held a protest demanding the release of innocent victims of the country's gang crackdown and wanting "Miss Universe to see that Salvadorans are suffering". Some protestors wore [[sash]]es reading "Miss Political Prisoners", "Miss Persecution", and "Miss Mass Trials".<ref name="sportswashing" /><ref name="MUp">{{cite web|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-hosts-miss-universe-protesters-denounce-mass-arrests-2023-11-18/|title=El Salvador Hosts Miss Universe as Protesters Denounce Mass Arrests|language=en|date=18 November 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[Reuters]]|first1=Nelson|last1=Renteria|editor1-first=Chizu|editor1-last=Nomiyama|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118191514/https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-hosts-miss-universe-protesters-denounce-mass-arrests-2023-11-18/|archive-date=18 November 2023|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Job approval and popularity ===

[[File:Supporters of Nayib Bukele's re-election (June 2023).jpg|thumb|alt=A crowd of people in front of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador holding banners supporting Nayib Bukele and waving to a camera|A crowd of Bukele supporters in front of the Legislative Assembly's meeting room in 2023]]

Although protests against Bukele occurred in [[2020 Salvadoran protests|2020]] during the COVID-19 pandemic<ref>{{cite web|url=https://peoplesdispatch.org/2020/05/15/massive-protests-in-el-salvador-against-president-nayib-bukele/|title=Massive Protests in El Salvador Against President Nayib Bukele|language=en|date=15 May 2020|access-date=6 April 2024|work=People's Dispatch}}</ref> and in [[2023 Salvadoran protests|2023]] about his re-election campaign and gang crackdown,<ref name="MUp" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/marchan-por-salario-minimo-de-500-y-contra-regimen-de-excepcion|title=Marchan por Salario Mínimo de $500 y Contra Régimen de Excepción|trans-title=They March for a Minimum Wage of $500 and Against the State of Exception|language=es|date=1 May 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Susana|last1=Peñate}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://diario.elmundo.sv/politica/medicos-candidatos-presidenciales-y-diputados-en-marcha-contra-reeleccion-falta-de-medicinas-y-capturas-de-inocentes|title=Médicos, Candidatos Presidenciales y Diputados en Marcha Contra Reelección, Falta de Medicinas y Capturas de Inocentes|trans-title=Doctors, Presidential Candidates and Deputies March Against Re-Election, Lack of Medicine, and the Capture of Innocents|language=es|date=15 September 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[El Mundo (El Salvador)|El Mundo]]|first1=Verónica|last1=Crespín}}</ref> he has retained [[Opinion polling on the Nayib Bukele presidency|high job-approval ratings]] throughout his presidency. Bukele's approval rating has never gone below 75 percent, and has averaged in the 90s.<ref name="popularity" /><ref name="TEcau" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/99f09fcb-c13e-48dd-9658-18142f521d4f|title=How El Salvador Became a Model for the Global Far Right|language=en|date=12 January 2025|access-date=14 January 2025|work=[[Financial Times]]|first1=Michael|last1=Stott|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|url-access=subscription}}</ref> He is one of the most popular presidents in Salvadoran history,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://elsalvadorinfo.net/nayib-bukele-approval-rate/|title=President Nayib Bukele's Approval Rating! What's Behind the President's Popularity?|language=en|date=9 March 2022|access-date=28 April 2022|work=El Salvador Info|first1=Eddie|last1=Galdámez|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220428200926/https://elsalvadorinfo.net/nayib-bukele-approval-rate/|archive-date=28 April 2022|url-status=live}}</ref> and the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''{{'}} Kate Linthicum called him "one of the most popular leaders in the world".<ref name="popularity" /> The [[United States Institute of Peace]]'s Mary Speck referred to Bukele as "Latin America's — and possibly the world's — most popular leader".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/02/el-salvadors-bukele-worlds-coolest-dictator-philosopher-king|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240305104405/https://www.usip.org/publications/2024/02/el-salvadors-bukele-worlds-coolest-dictator-philosopher-king|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 March 2024|title=El Salvador's Bukele: From 'World's Coolest Dictator' to 'Philosopher King'|language=en|date=8 February 2024|access-date=3 January 2025|work=United States Institute of Peace|first1=Mark|last1=Feierstein|first2=Keith|last2=Mines|first3=Mary|last3=Speck|first4=Ricardo|last4=Zúniga}}</ref> Risa Grais-Targow, a director at the [[Eurasia Group]], described Bukele's approval rating as "sky-high" and "really unprecedented".<ref name="FTCEO" />

In addition to Bukele's domestic popularity, he is also very popular among [[Salvadoran Americans|Salvadorans living in the United States]] and throughout [[Latin America]].<ref name="LATcult">{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-07-25/growing-cult-of-nayib-bukele|title=Inside the Growing Cult of El Salvador's Nayib Bukele, Latin America's Political Star|language=en|date=25 July 2023|access-date=15 August 2023|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|first1=Kate|last1=Linthicum|first2=Shanna|last2=Taco|first3=Paulo|last3=Cerrato|location=[[Mexico City]], [[Lima]], and [[Tegucigalpa]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725100859/https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2023-07-25/growing-cult-of-nayib-bukele|archive-date=25 July 2023|url-status=live}}</ref> Some Latin American state leaders and other politicians have sought to emulate his government policies.<ref name="admirers" /><ref name="LATcult" /> In some countries, such as Colombia and Ecuador, opinion polls found Bukele more popular with their residents than domestic politicians. [[Steven Levitsky]], a political scientist and the director of [[Harvard University]]'s Latin American studies center, wrote that "everybody wants to be a Bukele" and compared his popularity across Latin America to that of former Venezuelan president [[Hugo Chávez]].<ref name="LATcult" /> Some political analysts consider Bukele's popularity a [[cult of personality]].<ref name="LATcult" /><ref>Multiple sources:
* {{cite web|url=https://www.barrons.com/news/nayib-bukele-el-salvador-s-unapologetic-dictator-f81fa70c|title=Nayib Bukele, El Salvador's Unapologetic 'Dictator'|language=en|date=1 February 2024|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[Barron's]]|first1=Carlos Mario|last1=Marquez|first2=Mariette|last2=le Roux}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/9ec562bd-4aef-4867-9ff0-3bd3194dca3d|title=The 'Cult' of Bukele: El Salvador's Bitcoin-Loving Strongman Heads for Second Term|language=en|date=2 February 2024|access-date=30 June 2024|work=[[Financial Times]]|first1=Christine|last1=Murray|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador|url-access=subscription}}
* {{cite web|url=https://elfaro.net/es/202305/columnas/26852/la-ideologia-de-nuevas-ideas-una-revision-tras-casi-cinco-anos-en-el-poder|title=La Ideología de Nuevas Ideas: Una Revisión Tras Casi Cinco Años en el Poder|trans-title=The Ideology of Nuevas Ideas: A Revision After Almost Five Years in Power|language=es|date=22 May 2023|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]|first1=Óscar|last1=Picardo Joao}}
* {{cite web|url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-02-03/nayib-bukeles-origin-story-a-millennials-ambition.html|title=Nayib Bukele's Origin Story: A Millennial's Ambition|language=en|date=3 February 2024|access-date=6 April 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Juan Diego|last1=Quesada|first2=Beatriz|last2=Guillén}}</ref>

== Honors and decorations ==

[[File:Nayib Bukele receiving the National Order of Juan Mora Fernández.jpg|thumb|right|alt=Nayib Bukele, wearing the sash of the National Order of Juan Mora Fernández, and Rodrigo Chaves holding a document|Bukele receiving the {{ill|National Order of Juan Mora Fernández|es|Orden Nacional Juan Mora Fernández}} from Costa Rican president [[Rodrigo Chaves Robles]]]]

[[Beijing International Studies University]] awarded Bukele an [[honorary degree|honorary doctoral degree]] in December 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Bukele-es-distinguido-con-doctorado-honoris-causa-por-universidad-en-Beijing-20191204-0243.html|title=Bukele es Distinguido con Doctorado Honoris Causa por Universidad en Beijing|trans-title=Bukele is Distinguished with an Honorary Doctorate by the University of Beijing|language=es|date=4 December 2019|access-date=12 April 2024|work=[[La Prensa Gráfica]]|first1=Beatriz|last1=Calderón|archive-date=29 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210729191002/https://www.laprensagrafica.com/elsalvador/Bukele-es-distinguido-con-doctorado-honoris-causa-por-universidad-en-Beijing-20191204-0243.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2021, ''Time'' named Bukele as one of the [[Time 100|world's 100 most influential people]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2021/6096024/nayib-bukele/|title=Nayib Bukele|language=en|date=15 September 2021|access-date=28 March 2024|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|first1=Daniel|last1=Lizárraga|archive-date=15 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115160121/https://time.com/collection/100-most-influential-people-2021/6096024/nayib-bukele/|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Foreign decorations ===

{{flag|Costa Rica}}
* [[File:CRC Order of Juan Mora Fernandez ribbon.svg|60x60px|alt=Ribbon bar of the National Order of Juan Mora Fernández]] Grand Cross with Golden Plaque of the {{ill|National Order of Juan Mora Fernández|es|Orden Nacional Juan Mora Fernández}} (11 November 2024)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lanoticiasv.com/bukele-fue-condecorado-con-la-maxima-distincion-que-otorga-costa-rica-por-rescatar-a-el-salvador-de-las-pandillas-se-debe-ser-muy-terco-para-no-admitir-esa-proeza-historica/|title=Bukele fue Condecorado con la Máxima Distinción que Otorga Costa Rica por Rescatar a El Salvador de las Pandillas: «Se Debe Ser Muy Terco para no Admitir esa Proeza Histórica»|trans-title=Bukele Was Awarded the Highest Distinction that Costa Rica Offers for Rescuing El Salvador from the Gangs: "You Must be Very Stubborn to Not Admit that Historical Feat"|language=es|date=11 November 2024|access-date=12 November 2024|work=La Noticia SV|first1=David|last1=Morales|location=El Salvador}}</ref>

== Electoral history ==

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2" | Year
! rowspan="2" | Office
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Party
! colspan="3" rowspan="2" | Main opponent and party
! colspan="4" | Votes for Bukele
! rowspan="2" | Result
! colspan="2" rowspan="2" | Swing
! rowspan="2" | {{abbr|Ref.|Reference}}
|-
! Total
! %
! {{abbr|P.|Position}}
! {{abbr|±%|Change in percentage value since previous election}}
|-
! [[2012 Salvadoran legislative and local elections|2012]]
| Mayor of [[Nuevo Cuscatlán]]
| style="background-color:{{party color|Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front}};" |
| [[Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front|FMLN]]
| Tomás Rodríguez
| style="background-color:{{party color|Nationalist Republican Alliance}};" |
| [[Nationalist Republican Alliance|ARENA]]
| 2,862
| 51.67
| 1st
| N/A
| {{yes2|Won}}
| style="background-color:{{party color|Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front}};" |
| '''Gain'''
| <ref name="TSE 2012" />
|-
! [[2015 Salvadoran legislative election|2015]]
| [[Mayor of San Salvador]]
| style="background-color:{{party color|Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front}};" |
| FMLN
| Edwin Zamora
| style="background-color:{{party color|Nationalist Republican Alliance}};" |
| ARENA
| 89,164
| 50.38
| 1st
| N/A
| {{yes2|Won}}
| style="background-color:{{party color|Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front}};" |
| '''Gain'''
| <ref>{{cite web|url=http://escrutiniofinal2015.tse.gob.sv/concejos/mun001.html|title=Resultados de Concejos Municipales – San Salvador|trans-title=Results of the Municipal Councils – San Salvador|language=es|date=2015|access-date=22 March 2024|work=[[Supreme Electoral Court (El Salvador)|Supreme Electoral Court]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402201551/http://escrutiniofinal2015.tse.gob.sv/concejos/mun001.html|archive-date=2 April 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|-
! [[2019 Salvadoran presidential election|2019]]
| [[President of El Salvador]]
| style="background-color:#13C3C6;" |<!--This was GANA's color in 2019-->
| [[Grand Alliance for National Unity|GANA]]
| [[Carlos Calleja]]
| style="background-color:{{party color|Nationalist Republican Alliance}};" |
| ARENA{{efn|name="Calleja coalition"}}
| 1,434,856
| 53.10
| 1st
| N/A
| {{yes2|Won}}
| style="background-color:#13C3C6;" |<!--This was GANA's color in 2019-->
| '''Gain'''
| <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.fundaungo.org.sv/products/las-elecciones-presidenciales-de-2019-analisis-de-los-resultados-electorales/427|title=Las Elecciones Presidenciales de 2019: Análisis de los Resultados Electorales|trans-title=The Presidential Elections of 2019: Analysis of the Electoral Results|language=es|date=August 2019|access-date=28 October 2024|publisher=Funda Ungo|first1=Ricardo|last1=Córdova Macías|first2=Violeta|last2=Cubas|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}</ref>{{Rp|23}}
|-
! [[2024 Salvadoran general election|2024]]
| President of El Salvador
| style="background-color:{{party color|Nuevas Ideas}};" |
| [[Nuevas Ideas|NI]]
| [[Manuel Flores (Salvadoran politician)|Manuel Flores]]
| style="background-color:{{party color|Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front}};" |
| FMLN
| 2,701,725
| 84.65
| 1st
| +31.55
| {{yes2|Won}}
| style="background-color:{{party color|Nuevas Ideas}};" |
| Hold
| <ref name="EM 2024" />
|}

== See also ==
* [[List of current heads of state and government]]

== Notes ==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
{{Refbegin|35em|indent=yes}}
* {{cite web|url=https://im1776.com/el-salvador-history/|title=Bukele's War for Peace|language=en|date=7 February 2024|access-date=2 April 2024|work=IM–1776|first1=Benjamin|last1=Braddock}}
* {{cite web|url=https://elfaro.net/en/202402/opinion/27238/with-bukele-consolidated-salvadorans-enter-uncharted-terrain|title=With Bukele Consolidated, Salvadorans Enter Uncharted Terrain|language=en|date=7 February 2024|access-date=8 April 2024|work=[[El Faro (digital newspaper)|El Faro]]|first1=Jorge|last1=Cuéllar}}
* {{cite magazine|url=https://issuu.com/forbeslatam/docs/forbes_centroame_rica_junio_2024|title=De Bukele al Mundo|trans-title=From Bukele to the World|language=es|date=20 June 2024|access-date=20 June 2024|magazine=[[Forbes|Forbes Central America]]|pages=64–70|edition=115th |first1=Eliado|last1=González}}
* {{cite web|url=https://elpais.com/internacional/2023-03-05/la-metamorfosis-de-nayib-bukele.html|title=La Metamorfosis de Nayib Bukele: Un Poder Envenenado|trans-title=The Metamorphosis of Nayib Bukele: A Poisoned Power|language=es|date=5 March 2023|access-date=27 March 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Carlos S.|last1=Maldonado|location=[[Mexico City]], Mexico|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230328113102/https://elpais.com/internacional/2023-03-05/la-metamorfosis-de-nayib-bukele.html|archive-date=28 March 2023|url-status=live|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.ft.com/content/6dffa12c-b8bd-4b4e-b611-e4790e94ea03|title=Nayib Bukele: The TikTok Authoritarian Feted Across Latin America|language=en|date=9 February 2024|access-date=8 April 2024|work=[[Financial Times]]|first1=Christine|last1=Murray|url-access=subscription}}
* {{cite news|url=https://www.economist.com/the-americas/2023/07/20/nayib-bukele-shows-how-to-dismantle-a-democracy-and-stay-popular|title=Nayib Bukele Shows How to Dismantle a Democracy and Stay Popular|language=en|date=20 July 2023|access-date=8 April 2024|newspaper=[[The Economist]]|location=[[Sonsonate, El Salvador|Sonsonate]], El Salvador|url-access=subscription}}
* {{cite web|url=https://english.elpais.com/international/2024-02-06/bukele-expands-his-power-in-el-salvador-the-era-of-the-single-party-and-the-single-leader-is-born.html#?rel=mas|title=Bukele Expands His Power in El Salvador: The Era of the Single Party and the Single Leader is Born|language=en|date=6 February 2024|access-date=8 April 2024|work=[[El País]]|first1=Juan Diego|last1=Quesada|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}
* {{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/mundo/articles/cz7k1r4knwwo|title=3 Cosas que Quizá no Sabías de la Vida de Nayib Bukele (Y Cómo Transformó su Imagen como Mediático y Polémico Presidente de El Salvador)|trans-title=3 Things You Probably Did Not Know About the Life of Nayib Bukele (And How He Transformed His Image into a Media Figure and the Controversial President of El Salvador)|language=es|date=5 February 2024|access-date=12 April 2024|work=[[BBC Mundo]]|first1=Leire|last1=Ventas|location=[[San Salvador]], El Salvador}}
{{Refend}}

== External links ==
{{Commons}}
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{Twitter|nayibbukele}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150402151210/http://www.nayibbukele.com/nayib/biografia Archived biography from NayibBukele.com] {{In lang|es}}
* [https://www.presidencia.gob.sv/presidente-de-la-republica/ Biography on official presidential website] {{In lang|es}}

{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-bef|before=Álvaro Rodríguez}}
{{s-ttl|title=Mayor of [[Nuevo Cuscatlán]]|years=2012–2015}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Michelle Sol]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Norman Quijano]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Mayor of San Salvador]]|years=2015–2018}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Ernesto Muyshondt]]}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Salvador Sánchez Cerén]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[President of El Salvador]]|years=2019–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-ppo}}
{{s-new|office}}
{{s-ttl|title=Leader of [[Nuevas Ideas]]|years=2017–present}}
{{s-inc}}
{{s-new|party}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Grand Alliance for National Unity|GANA]] nominee for [[President of El Salvador]]|years=[[2019 Salvadoran presidential election|2019]]}}
{{s-inc|recent}}
{{s-new|party}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Nuevas Ideas|NI]] nominee for [[President of El Salvador]]|years=[[2024 Salvadoran general election|2024]]}}
{{s-inc|recent}}
{{s-hon}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Jimmy Morales]]}}
{{s-ttl|title=[[Central American Integration System|President pro tempore of the<br />Central American Integration System]]|years=2019}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Juan Orlando Hernández]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Portal bar|Biography|Business|Central America|Economics|El Salvador|Latin America|Law|Politics}}
{{Heads of state of El Salvador}}
{{Heads of state of republics}}
{{Current heads of government}}
{{Heads of State in Central America}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bukele, Nayib}}
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