El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele Steps Down to Pursue Re-election

Nayib Bukele has resigned as El Salvador’s president, clearing his path for another run at the top office. As the architect behind the country’s controversial Bitcoin adoption, Bukele vacated his position on December 1st after receiving approval from the legislative assembly. The presidency has temporarily passed to Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara, who’ll likely hold the role until June 2024, following February’s general election.

I’ve watched Bukele’s tenure with mixed feelings. When he took office in June 2019, El Salvador was drowning in violence with one of the world’s highest homicide rates. His approach to crime certainly brought those numbers down, but at what cost? His government’s “mass detentions” since 2022 have raised serious human rights concerns, with the UN reporting cases of abuse and deaths in custody.

His crypto gambit particularly fascinates me. In September 2021, he pushed through Bitcoin as legal tender and proposed a volcano-powered “Bitcoin City.” Bold moves, certainly, but I wonder how much these initiatives actually benefited ordinary Salvadorans versus burnishing his international image among crypto enthusiasts.

The constitutional gymnastics enabling his re-election bid are equally telling. Before September 2021, presidents had to wait 10 years before seeking another term. Conveniently, the Supreme Court suddenly decided consecutive terms were acceptable. Democracy in action? I’m skeptical.

While his supporters celebrate declining crime rates, I can’t help questioning whether trading constitutional norms and human rights for security represents progress or regression for El Salvador’s democracy.