Nayib Bukele it seemed like something out of a written political novel Xbut the story is more real. In fact, on Twitter previously, he defined himself as “Philosopher King” with almost 8 million followers. Born in San Salvador in 1981, the son of a Palestinian businessman – Armando Bukele Kattán, a Muslim and influential in the country’s Arab community – and a Catholic mother, Olga Marina Ortez, began his career in advertising. This is understandable: every move as president seems to be designed like an image campaign.
After becoming mayor from Nuevo Cuscatlán and then San Salvador, Bukele in 2019 became the first president of El Salvador who did not come from the historical parties that alternated after the civil war. He built his profile as “Country CEO”, a young leader, who alternates between a leather jacket and a mandarin collar, and promises to free the nation from corruption And crime.
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) December 9, 2024
War against gangs
The flag is “war on gangs”, especially on mara MS-13 And Barrio 18responsible for thousands of murders over the years. Starting in 2022, the government maintains a exclusion regimeexceptional circumstances that suspend constitutional rights such as freedom of association and the presumption of innocence. According to official data, more than 80,000 people were arrested. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch condemn arbitrary detention, torture and systematic rights violations. But the safety figures are impressive: according to government statistics, murder rate has fallen from more than 50 to less than 3 per 100,000 residents, a historic record. Many Salvadorans say they can finally walk peacefully at night, and polls continue to show Bukele’s lead80% agreement..
But the price of this “peace” is high. Prisons are overcrowded, access to justice is reduced, and the government has expanded the definition of “suspicious.” Symbolic example: in recent days, the international press reported how i tattoo be a potential indication of a crime. In countries where signs of gang membership can be seen on the skin, a picture or writing alone is enough to warrant investigation.
“The coolest dictator in the world”
Bukele reigns mixed authoritarianism And marketing. In 2021, after being accused of being dictatorial, he ironically changed his Twitter bio to “The coolest speaker in the world“. Since then the label has stuck to him: the coolest dictator in the world. He consolidated control over Parliament and the Supreme Court, which in 2021 – after the dismissal of constitutional judges – allowed him to run again, despite the prohibition expressed in the Constitution. It was such a strange and dangerous “revolution” that the press coined the terms. verb “to Bukale“to praise his instincts for getting things done unlike “liberals.”
Fun being a verb. pic.twitter.com/ffMnZ1IlEE
— Nayib Bukele (@nayibbukele) October 27, 2025
Meanwhile, it is building a global image of surfing, tourism and bitcoin. With “Surf City” on the Pacific coast and promotions crypto currency as legal currency, Bukele is trying to change the profile of his country: from a country full of violence to a country that shows modernity. But behind the digital age, there are still abundant penitentiaries, a silenced press, and increasingly absolute personal power.
JUST IN: President Nayib Bukele posts El Salvador’s Bitcoin reserves, showing $475 million in unrealized profits. pic.twitter.com/RoR8ZkGyG5
— Watcher.Guru (@WatcherGuru) October 5, 2025
Bukele is the embodiment of the contemporary paradox: a
a leader who restored security and hope to millions, but did so by suspending the rules of democracy. El Salvador’s future, for now, is its face: smiling, deeply connected and surrounded by barbed wire.
