The first presidential term of Nayib Bukele in El Salvador (Part II)

On June 1, 2024, the second term of Nayib Bukele as president of El Salvador began. His sudden rise and radical reordering of the post-1992 establishment of the small, densely populated Central American republic baffled many analysts. It is important to highlight his achievements and attempt to define his project of rebuilding the Salvadoran state. His core goal is apparently building and stabilizing a new national coalition that redefines political sides, the established rules, and the power balances of parliamentarian democracy established since the end of the Civil War. He asserted a global and regional role by projecting a special soft power and presenting his handling of internal security as a model to emulate. This two-part series examines Bukele’s attempts to build a national and international coalition to support his efforts in nation-building. This second part of the series looks at important elements of the economic and foreign policies of the Bukele government.