First he busted gangs. Now Nayib Bukele busts critics
El Salvador’s president has all the tools of repression he needs to stay in power indefinitely
Nayib Bukele’s autocratic tendencies were already clear when he ran for a second term as El Salvador’s president in 2024. He had extended a “temporary” state of emergency for two years, and used it to lock up legions of alleged gangsters without due process. He had ignored court rulings and used soldiers to bully lawmakers into supporting him. After his party won a supermajority in the legislature in 2021, he used it to stack the justice system with cronies. El Salvador’s constitution limits presidents to one five-year term, but those friendly judges waved him through. There was evidence that his government had done deals with the gangs, and bought their support in elections.
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This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “A dictator’s progress”
From the May 31st 2025 edition
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