Nayib Bukele has won a landslide victory in El Salvador. This was despite accusations of authoritarianism from around the world and veiled U.S. opposition. Bukele even took to calling himself “the coolest dictator in the world” sarcastically.
El Salvador has welcomed international observers to monitor the election process. The incumbent won around 83 percent of the votes, crushing his nearest rival, a socialist who got only seven percent.
U.S. Secretary Antony Blinken largely bit his tongue, but still sent out a message of congratulations. It was still peppered with subtle jabs against Bukele’s leadership.
“The United States values our strong relationship with El Salvador’s people, built over 160 years on shared values, regional connections, and family ties. The events in El Salvador directly impact U.S. interests at home and abroad. Blinken stated that only by working together could we reach our full potential, and overcome the biggest obstacles in our hemisphere as well as globally. The United States will prioritize fair trials, good governance, economic prosperity for all, and human rights protections in El Salvador as part of our Root Causes Strategy.
El Salvador, under Bukele’s guidance, has become one of the world’s safest countries. Over 70,000 people were arrested by Bukele using emergency powers that he was granted by the country’s legislative body. This has caused panic among many liberals in America. But you know what? It’s worked.
The people can now walk through their neighborhoods without being afraid of abduction or worse. Even the downtown area, where Bukele gave his victory speech, was once controlled by gangs. El Salvador used to be a failed state. Despite the “authoritarian” accusations, it’s no longer that. It’s a fact, regardless of whether you like it or not.
This is the lesson to the left-wingers who think Bukele is an extreme “right-wing leader” and a “danger to democracy.” Your lofty statements are meaningless when people’s daughters are sold into the sex slave trade and they get hacked up by gangs. I cannot guarantee that Bukele did not cross some lines when he used his emergency powers. But I can assure you that the alternative is far worse than what Bukele did. The world is complex. The world is complicated.
El Salvador is teaching us another important lesson. The people should not allow things to get to the point where they are willing to give a single man emergency power to keep their country safe. It is impossible to have a “bail reform” that allows violent criminals to return to the streets and a “social injustice” movement that increases the victimization of normal people without there being a backlash.
Liberals now have a decision to make. They can either sit back and cry over Bukele’s tactics or they can make sure that they are not necessary in America. We are not currently doing this.
