Why El Salvador elected a self-proclaimed 'coolest dictator'
Post Reports
The Washington Post
4.4 • 5.1K Ratings
🗓️ 7 February 2024
⏱️ 31 minutes
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Summary
On Sunday, President Nayib Bukele won reelection in El Salvador in a landslide. Today, The Post’s Mary Beth Sheridan addresses what’s behind Bukele’s striking popularity, his self-proclaimed nickname on social media and his controversial war on gangs.
Nayib Bukele first took office in 2019 as an independent, becoming El Salvador’s – and Latin America’s – youngest president. He made a name for himself through his alleged crackdown on gangs and savvy use of social media to market his efforts.
While consolidating power and operating in a state of emergency, Bukele oversaw the imprisonment of more than 1 percent of El Salvador’s population. The improvements to safety have been celebrated across El Salvador, and other Latin American leaders are taking note of the approach. But these developments are also raising concerns that they come at a cost to human rights and democracy. Despite voting irregularities and a controversial decision that allowed him to skirt a ban on immediate reelection, Bukele continues to have widespread support.
Read More:
‘World’s coolest dictator’ reelected in El Salvador: What to know.
How to match Bukele’s success against gangs? First, dismantle democracy.
Today’s show was produced by Elana Gordon and edited by Monica Campbell. It was mixed by Sam Bair. Thanks to Carmen Valeria Escobar for additional reporting.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Last Sunday in El Salvador, Niyib Bukhale won the presidency again in a landslide. |
| 0:08.6 | He wasn't supposed to run a second time. The country's laws prevent that, but he managed to stay on the ballot. And even with glitches in the vote count, roaring crowds celebrated his victory. |
| 0:24.0 | You know, he's a very young leader, he's about 42, |
| 0:30.0 | and his image is very much of the kind of outsider reformer cool guy. |
| 0:37.6 | Mary Beth Sheridan is a post-correspondent based in Mexico City. |
| 0:41.2 | She has been covering Central America for years. She says |
| 0:44.6 | Buekele stands out and that was clear during his election night speech. |
| 0:48.6 | Buekele did tell the huge crowd gathered in the Central Square that no one in history has won the sort of popular mandate he's one. And he said it's the first time that a country has come to a one-party |
| 1:10.7 | system via a full democratic process. |
| 1:15.0 | The opposition has been smashed. |
| 1:17.0 | All of the opposition |
| 1:19.0 | point that I pull very sad. He said, Salvadorans have provided an example to the entire world. |
| 1:25.0 | But he said, Salvadorans have provided an example to the entire world. |
| 1:30.0 | But the Salvadorans, the emotinels, the emota of the temple, the world, world. |
| 1:35.0 | That any problem can be solved if you only have the will. |
| 1:38.0 | That what what things can be solution are, |
| 1:40.0 | what problems that can't regulate, if a volatile diaservo. |
| 1:44.0 | Marybeth says that to many, |
| 1:49.0 | Buekelli's popularity is striking. |
| 1:52.0 | I'm just so surprised that it's so blunt that he is |
| 1:57.0 | embracing and accepting the idea that multi-party democracy is |
| 2:01.0 | finished at least for the moment in El Salvador that basically one party truly |
... |
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