"The Coolest Dictator in the World"... 42-Year-Old 'Coinguk' President Expected to Secure Re-election

The presidential election voting in El Salvador has concluded. With President Nayib Bukele (42), who is pushing hard for 'gang eradication,' facing virtually no opposition, his re-election is considered certain.

President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador is holding a press conference at a hotel in the capital, San Salvador. [Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

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On the 4th (local time), foreign media including the AP reported that voters exercised their right to vote at approximately 1,670 polling stations starting from 7 a.m. The number of domestic voters in El Salvador is 6,214,399 (according to election authorities' count, excluding voters residing abroad). Among them, President Bukele recorded a high approval rating close to 80% in various pre-election opinion polls, leading to expectations that he will easily secure re-election without a runoff. This has led to the election being referred to as 'Bukele's coronation.' Along with the presidential election, legislative elections were also held on the same day, and local media such as El Diario de El Salvador forecast a victory for the ruling party in the legislative elections as well.

President Bukele has demonstrated a strong determination to eradicate gangs. Upon taking office in 2019, he declared a state of emergency and launched a powerful crime crackdown operation that arrested as many as 75,000 gang members. He also achieved dramatic results by reducing the homicide rate from 105.2 per 100,000 people in 2015 to 2.4 per 100,000 in 2023, gaining popularity akin to an 'idol' rather than experiencing a lame-duck period.

In the 2019 presidential election, Bukele, running as a third-party candidate with a center-right orientation, broke the 30-year two-party system. He openly expressed his thoughts on social media and showed unique behavior such as taking selfies with his smartphone at the UN General Assembly podium during his first year in office. Early in his term, when attending the legislature controlled by both left and right parties, he was accompanied by armed military and police, and frequently released photos of prisoners stacked closely together wearing only underwear, demonstrating somewhat extreme actions. He is also well known for attempting to secure funds to overcome economic difficulties through Bitcoin investments using the national budget.

Prisoners are gathered and monitored in one place at Isalco Prison in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador.
[Photo by Reuters Yonhap News]

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However, there have been continuous criticisms that his re-election contains unconstitutional elements. The Salvadoran constitution includes a term limit clause that prohibits a president from running again within 10 years. Nevertheless, President Bukele obtained a favorable interpretation from constitutional court judges sympathetic to him, allowing his re-election. He even took a leave of absence six months before the end of his term.

While President Bukele proclaims himself as 'the coolest dictator in the world,' concerns about his dictatorship are also being raised. Critics argue that he is aiming for unchecked power, having effectively taken control of the legislative and judicial branches. This is partly due to his hardline policies during the gang crackdown, which included indiscriminate arrests and detentions, torture and deaths in custody, and warrantless home searches.

Claudia Ortiz, a lawmaker from the opposition VAMOS party, emphasized that to check Bukele and restore a balance of power, more opposition candidates unrelated to Bukele should be elected to the National Assembly. She stressed, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely. When one party and individual hold all power, it becomes easier to steal, lie, or pretend to do nothing." Ana Maria Mendez Dardon, a Central American political analyst, predicted to foreign media that "political opposition within El Salvador could almost disappear as a result of this election."

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