Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez (born July 24, 1981) is a Salvadoran politician and businessman who has served as the president of El Salvador since 2019. Known for his unorthodox governing style, extensive use of social media, and focus on security, Bukele has become one of the most prominent and polarizing figures in Latin American politics. His presidency has been marked by a significant reduction in gang-related violence, high domestic approval ratings, and international scrutiny regarding his consolidation of power and human rights record. Born in San Salvador to Armando Bukele Kattán, a prominent businessman of Palestinian descent and Muslim leader, and Olga Marina Ortez, Bukele was raised in a family of means. He attended the Panamerican School in San Salvador and later enrolled in the Central American University to study law but dropped out to focus on his family’s business interests. Before entering politics, he held management positions in his family's companies, which included advertising, textiles, and pharmaceutical firms, as well as the local distributorship for Yamaha Motor Company. Bukele entered the political arena in 2012 as a member of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), the leftist party that had dominated Salvadoran politics since the end of the civil war. He served as the mayor of the small town of Nuevo Cuscatlán from 2012 to 2015, where he gained attention for his populist initiatives. He was subsequently elected mayor of the capital, San Salvador, serving from 2015 to 2018. During his time as mayor, he frequently clashed with the FMLN leadership, eventually leading to his expulsion from the party in 2017. Following his ousting, he founded his own political movement, Nuevas Ideas (New Ideas). In the 2019 presidential election, Bukele ran as the candidate for the Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA) after his own party faced registration delays. He secured a decisive victory, breaking the three-decade-long stranglehold that the FMLN and the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) had held on the presidency. His 2019 inauguration marked the beginning of a new political era in El Salvador. Bukele’s presidency has been defined by his aggressive "Territorial Control Plan." Following a spike in gang violence in March 2022, he instituted a "State of Exception" that suspended certain constitutional rights, allowing for mass arrests of suspected gang members. This campaign has led to the detention of over 90,000 individuals and a significant decline in the nation's homicide rate, which was once among the highest in the world. While the policy enjoys widespread support among the Salvadoran population, it has drawn severe criticism from international human rights organizations, which point to mass arbitrary detentions, violations of due process, and prison overcrowding. Another signature, and highly controversial, policy of his first term was the adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender in 2021, making El Salvador the first country to take such a step. The initiative was intended to promote financial inclusion and attract foreign investment. However, adoption remained low among the public, and by early 2025, facing economic hardship and international pressure, the government rescinded Bitcoin's status as official legal tender. Throughout his tenure, Bukele has been accused of democratic backsliding. In February 2020, he famously entered the Legislative Assembly flanked by armed soldiers and police to pressure lawmakers to approve a security loan. In 2021, his party, Nuevas Ideas, won a legislative supermajority, allowing him to replace high-ranking judges and the attorney general, effectively consolidating control over the judiciary. Despite constitutional prohibitions against immediate presidential re-election, the Supreme Court reinterpreted the constitution to allow him to run again, and he was re-elected in a landslide in 2024. In 2025, the Legislative Assembly approved further constitutional amendments allowing for indefinite re-election. Bukele’s style—characterized by self-styled labels like "the world's coolest dictator" and his adept use of digital platforms to bypass traditional media—has made him a polarizing figure, viewed by many supporters as a necessary strongman and by critics as an autocrat dismantling the nation’s democratic institutions.