Nayib Bukele

Biography of Nayib Bukele

Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez (born July 24, 1981) is a Salvadoran politician and businessman. He has been the President of El Salvador since June 2019. A former member of the FMLN, Bukele entered politics in 2012 as the elected mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán. In 2015 he was elected mayor of San Salvador and in 2019 he became president. His meteoric rise has made him the youngest president in Salvadoran history. He has identified with millennials and generations influenced by social media. Before entering politics, he was a well-known businessman.

 

Beginnings

He was born in San Salvador in 1981. He is the son of chemical engineer and businessman Armando Bukele Kattán and Olga Ortez. His father is of Palestinian origin and he has a brother named Yamil. Bukele began his career as a businessman, working with his father from a young age. By the age of eighteen, he was already running a successful company. Later, he began studying law at the Central American University José Simeón Cañas; however, he did not graduate, as he decided to continue with the family business.

Bukele was the owner of one of the Yamaha distributors in El Salvador and the director of the advertising company Obermet, before entering politics as a member of the Farabundo Martí Front for National Liberation (FMLN). He had come into contact with the party from a young age, but it was not until 2011 that he offered himself as a candidate for the mayoralty of Nuevo Cuscatlán.

 

Political career of Nayib Bukele

Elected mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán for the period between 2012 and 2015, Bukele quickly gained recognition for his left-wing ideas and his closeness to current generations. Just one month after the end of his administration, he was elected again, this time for the mayoralty of San Salvador. He successfully governed from May 1, 2015 to April 30, 2018.

During his administration, Bukele implemented several programs such as “One work per day” and the “Revitalization of the heart of the Historic Center.” He also carried out the construction of the Municipal Library of San Salvador and the creation of the Women’s and Culture Secretariat of the municipality.

On October 10, 2017, he was expelled from the FMLN. Since then, he has been one of the party’s most ardent critics. After his term ended, he began his campaign for the presidency with the Gran Alianza por la Unidad Nacional (GANA) party and with Félix Ulloa as his running mate.

 

Bukele: elected president

In the presidential elections of February 3, 2019, Bukele emerged as the winner with a total of 1,434,856 votes (53% of voters), against the ARENA candidate, Carlos Calleja. His victory ended more than thirty years of bipartisanship in government. On June 1 of that year, he assumed office.

Once in power, he broke relations with Venezuela, accepting interim President Juan Guaidó. Later, he would be criticized for promoting the entry of the armed forces into the Legislative Assembly, in response to the rejection of a bill that sought to increase funds for the police and the armed forces.

In April 2020, he again caught the attention of the country and the international community by ordering a lockdown of prisons that had gang members. This followed a wave of violence that left 77 dead. The measure was not only unpopular due to the crisis facing the world due to Covid-19, but also because it violated the fundamental rights of prisoners. In addition, differences between the gangs imprisoned in the same place were overlooked. The situation could have gotten out of proportion.

For this reason, many critics have spoken out against his government. His authoritarianism and excessive use of the armed forces have worried all sectors of the country and the international community.

 

Nayib Bukele and Bitcoin

Nayib Bukele, the President of El Salvador, made the historic decision to accept Bitcoin as a legal currency in the country in June 2021. This measure was seen by many as a way to combat inflation and strengthen the country’s economy. Bukele also announced plans to build a solar energy plant to mine Bitcoin and use the digital currency as a way to boost tourism and investment in the country. While this decision has been controversial and has raised concerns about the volatility and security of Bitcoin, Bukele has expressed confidence that this measure will have a positive impact on the Salvadoran economy in the long run.

 

Personal life

Nayib Bukele is married to Gabriela Rodríguez, and in 2019, their daughter Layla was born. Bukele is known for his strong connection to young people and has often spoken about the importance of family and parenting. In addition to his political and business pursuits, he has made time for his personal life and has been open about the challenges and joys of raising a child.