International leaders are in El Salvador for Nayib Bukele’s inauguration

The President of El Salvador, Nayib BukeleHe begins his second term this Saturday with almost absolute power and no opposition, but he faces the challenge of maintaining security in the country and achieving the economic prosperity he promised.

Bukele, 42, will be sworn in at a ceremony that begins at 08:00 local time (14:00 GMT) at the National Palace, in the historic centre of San Salvador, where his supporters have been called.

Captain General Gerardo Barrios SquareIs known Civic Square And located in the heart of the Salvadorian capital, this will be the place that will host the event, in which the King of Spain, Philip VI

; and the President of Argentina, Xavier Miley; and from Ecuador, Daniel Noboa,

These leaders will be joined by the United States Secretary of Homeland Security. Alejandro Mayorkaswho will lead his country’s delegation and the Presidents of Paraguay for the investiture, Santiago Pena; from Costa Rica, rodrigo chavez; and the President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro,

In addition, representatives from other countries including Chile, Uruguay, Chile, Uruguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Brazil will participate.

This former preacher of Palestinian origin works another five-year term After defeating the opposition and getting a Historic 85% votes In the February elections, where almost the entire Congress also won (54 out of 60 seats).

On social networks he regularly laughs at people who call him a “dictator”. The remaining powers of the state are in his favourIncluding magistrates who allowed him to run for re-election despite it being prohibited by the Constitution.

He will have even more power because delegates recently approved a reform that will make it easier for him to make constitutional changes, including indefinite re-election, according to analysts.

In Latin America, plagued by criminal violence, Bukele is the most popular presidentAccording to a regional survey, thanks to this “Strong Handagainst gangs, such as many rulers Daniel Noboa (Ecuador) and Xiomara Castro (Honduras) has tried to emulate that.

Both attend the investiture ceremony, as do presidents Santiago Pena (Paraguay) and Rodrigo Chaves (Costa Rica), and King Felipe of Spain, among others. But all the attention is on Argentina Xavier MileyWith whom Bukele shares his sympathy for the former US president Donald TrumpA taste of the conservative agenda and the impact of the coup.

Bukele claims to have cured the country of the “cancer” of gangs, on which he declared “war” and built a megaprison: since March 2022, El Salvador has been living under a state of emergency, with 80,000 people detained without a court order.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International condemn the deaths, torture and arbitrary detention. Nearly 8,000 have been released, thousands because they are innocent.

The cost of security is paid by the “unjustly detained population,” summarized Miguel Montenegro, coordinator of the Human Rights Commission. For Bukele, who came to power in 2019 with 53% of the vote, his recent landslide victory shows that Salvadorans want to remain under emergency rule.

(With information from agencies)