Democracy is advancing in El Salvador, along with the human rights of law abiding citizens. Naturally, Victoria Nuland is opposed to it.
El Salvador's Bukele looks set for landslide election win on gang crackdown
SAN SALVADOR, Jan 30 (Reuters) - El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele, who has described himself as the "World's Coolest Dictator," has in less than five years transformed El Salvador from a country infamous for its record on murder and gangs to a nation with one of the lowest homicide rates in the Americas.
That record means he is all but certain to be re-elected in a presidential election on Sunday for another five-year term - despite a constitutional bar on immediate re-election, voter worries about the economy, and criticism of his draconian crackdown on civil and human rights.
Under him, more than 2% of the adult population of the Central American country is behind bars and several constitutional rights have been shelved, prompting critics to call him a modern day autocrat.
But Salvadorans weary of years of gang violence can live in ways unimaginable before. Once barred from going to neighborhoods controlled by rival gangs, residents can now freely move around. They can open businesses without paying crushing extortion fees. They can play with their children or sit with friends outside past sunset.
They may be torn over the erosion of civil liberties, but many say they will still support Bukele.
"Why switch leaders? To go back to the same? We're happy without the gangs and he needs power to keep making change," said Elmer Martinez, a 53-year-old construction worker in the capital San Salvador.
A January 2024 opinion poll from the University of Central America's public opinion institute showed 82% of voters supporting Bukele.
At just 4% in polls, the next closest candidate is Manuel "Chino" Flores for the legacy left-wing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), which ran the country for 10 years prior to Bukele.
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reuters.com
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