Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez, born July 24, 1981, in San Salvador, is the current president of El Salvador, serving since 2019[2][3]. He is the son of a wealthy entrepreneur of Palestinian descent, Armando Bukele, and grew up in a privileged environment[4][5]. Bukele began his career in business, managing a Yamaha dealership and a nightclub before entering politics in 2011[4]. His political rise was rapid: elected mayor of the small town of Nuevo Cuscatlán in 2012 as a member of the leftist Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), he then became mayor of San Salvador in 2015, where he gained popularity for urban revitalization projects and a strong social media presence[3][4]. Bukele’s relationship with the FMLN soured over allegations of corruption and internal disputes, leading to his expulsion from the party in 2017[3][4]. Undeterred, he founded his own political movement, Nuevas Ideas (New Ideas), and, after legal obstacles, ran for president in 2019 with the Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA), winning with 53% of the vote[2][3]. At 37, he became the youngest elected president in Latin American history, ending decades of dominance by the FMLN and the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA)[3]. As president, Bukele quickly consolidated power, using his party’s legislative majority to remove Supreme Court justices and the attorney general, actions widely criticized as undermining judicial independence and democratic checks and balances[1][6]. He gained international attention—and controversy—for his hardline “iron fist” policies against gangs, notably the 2022 crackdown that led to over 85,000 arrests amid allegations of widespread human rights abuses[2][5]. Domestically, he remains highly popular, with approval ratings often exceeding 90%, credited with reducing crime but criticized for eroding civil liberties and press freedoms[2][5]. Bukele was re-elected in February 2024 with 85% of the vote, a result enabled by a controversial constitutional reinterpretation allowing consecutive presidential terms[2]. His administration continues to prioritize security and economic modernization, while facing ongoing scrutiny from international human rights organizations over democratic backsliding[6]. Bukele’s blend of millennial charisma, social media savvy, and authoritarian tendencies has made him a polarizing figure both at home and abroad, emblematic of a new style of leadership in Latin America[4][5].