Bukele announces his re-election in El Salvador – a country that does not allow re-election

According to himself, he is “the most wonderful dictator in the world” and “a philosophical king,” and after 70 percent of the votes were counted on Monday morning, 83 percent cast their votes for Bukele. In a speech to residents, Bukele said he had “crushed the opposition.”

– Bukele is a president who fits our times so well because he masters the tools available today to communicate directly with his voters, says Tigran Weiler, SVT's Latin America correspondent.

– In terms of politics, the country has changed fairly dramatically when it comes to crime. A few years ago, people were afraid to go out, not least in the evening, but now when we filmed before the election, we could be standing in a square before midnight with children riding bikes around us.

Gang rule

El Salvador is one of the most violent countries in the world, and according to the government, at least 120,000 people have been killed by criminal gangs over the past three decades. When Bukele was first elected in 2019, the government stated that gangs controlled 80% of the country.

In 2022, Bukele declared a state of emergency, and 75,000 people said to have links to the gang environment have since been deprived of their liberty.

Innocent people have been imprisoned

The emergency and presidential laws have been criticized as suspects can be arrested without explanation and deprived of the right to legal defence. Thousands of detainees are believed to be innocent, many of whom are minors. According to Weiler, relatives receive little information about where family members are imprisoned, and must provide them with food and hygiene supplies themselves.

– Many are starting to wonder where this will end. In recent years, the president has gained more and more powers. According to the constitution, Bukele could not run in yesterday's elections because the country does not allow him to be re-elected, but the president has people close to him at the Supreme Court who made a different assessment, says Tigran Weiler.