Historical Context

El Salvador has a long history of violence. 

Political Struggles and Migration

In 1931 General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez came to power under a highly violent military coup. Students and peasants organized and demanded political freedom, economic reforms, and land redistribution; the government ordered the killing of thousands of Salvadorans, La Matanza, in response (Menjívar & Gómez Cervantes).

General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez (1882-1966)

This was followed by a period of migration from thousands of Salvadorans. The military-economic elite alliance was opposed to even minor economic or political reforms—a position it maintained for decades (Menjívar & Gómez Cervantes). Terrible working conditions and low wages were also contributing factors to this large wave of migration.

The constant movement of agricultural workers led to significant changes in social structures. Although the economy was expanding, social inequalities continued and class divisions were solidified.

By the 1970s, prolonged authoritarianism and repression strengthened the prospect of armed insurgency in El Salvador (Parelló & Navia). The two extremes were represented by the leftist Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) and the rightist National Republican Alliance (ARENA).

The Civil War 

The conflict that followed these two extremes was the bloody, twelve-year-long civil war (1980-1992). Around 75,000 people were killed, in addition to the thousands who were tortured and disappeared; according to a UN Truth Commission report, more than 85 percent of these atrocities were committed by the government (Menjívar & Gómez Cervantes).

Additionally, the war has had long-lasting impacts on the socioeconomic and psychological well-being of Salvadoran citizens (Rosen et al.) 

The extreme levels of state violence and sustained terror forever changed the social fabric of the country, even after the Peace Accords were signed to end the war in 1992 (Menjívar & Gómez Cervantes). Life in El Salvador did not improve after the accords; living conditions worsened and inequality increased.

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The 2000s 

ARENA and FMLN dominated Salvadoran politics for three decades but failed to solve the country's biggest problems—corruption, inequality, and widespread violence and crime (Parelló & Navia). Many Salvadorans were beginning to lose faith in their government's ability to address the issues they were facing.

Moreover, after 2002, violence rates continued to escalate in El Salvador. By 2015, violence between the state's security forces and maras (gangs) registered the world's highest murder rate with 103 homicides per 100,000 people (Rosen et al.).

The loss of trust and faith in the government by the Salvadoran people created the perfect environment for Nayib Bukele's presidential campaign to thrive. 

Nayib Bukele

President Nayib Bukele

Nayib Bukele was a former FMLN and mayor of the capital city of San Salvador. He was expelled from the leftist party for criticizing the party's shortcomings such as pervasive poverty, widespread corruption, and violence. 

During his presidential campaign, Bukele established a new party: Nuevas Ideas. He ran as a populist leader who vowed to improve the country's economic and security conditions while also addressing the high levels of corruption (Rosen et al.). By promising to address the issues that many Salvadorans were concerned about, Bukele became a sliver of hope for the country. 

Bukele has responded to the desire for tough-on-crime strategies by implementing many controversial policies; while violence has declined in recent years, human rights abuses remain high (Rosen et al.). 

Bukele has been compared, by many academic scholars, to Peru's Alberto Fujimori, Venezuela's Hugo Chaves, and Ecuador's Rafael Correa. They argue that El Salvador resembles previous democratic crises where a popular anti-establishment leader is elected democratically amid widespread public dissatisfaction with the political system.