Supporters of Salvador President Nayib Bukele, who is seeking re-election, celebrate results of a general election in downtown San Salvador, El Salvador, February 4, 2024
VOTERS in El Salvador on Sunday appeared to give Nayib Bukele a second term as president, putting him well on his way to a landslide victory.
The Supreme Electoral Tribunal said late on Sunday that with ballots from 31 per cent of polling places tallied, Mr Bukele had 83 per cent of the vote, far ahead of his nearest competitor’s 7 per cent for the left-wing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front.
In a victory speech from the balcony of the National Palace, Mr Bukele said that the country had made history and “have given the example to the entire world that any problem can be solved if there is the will to do it.”
The disputed election of a far-right president, who is also a US citizen, signals further consolidation of Washington’s regional power and represents a threat to the country’s democracy and sovereignty, writes WT WHITNEY JNR
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