In a firm and defiant speech, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele marked the first year of his second term by highlighting the country’s transformation in terms of security, while responding to his international critics with a clear message: «I’d rather be called a dictator than watch Salvadorans die in the streets.»
Bukele, whose administration has been denounced by various international organizations for alleged human rights violations under the state of exception, stated that the results speak for themselves. “They’ve called us all sorts of things. Me personally, I’ve been called a dictator by every media outlet that wanted to — from Salvadoran pamphlets to international ones, even the most prestigious,” he said.
However, far from showing concern about these criticisms, the president emphasized that they don’t affect him. “You know what? I couldn’t care less if they call me a dictator,” he declared. “I prefer grabbing my phone and reading ‘dictator, dictator’ in the headlines, rather than ‘murder, murder’ like before.”
During his address, Bukele defended the extraordinary measures his government has implemented to combat gangs, which, according to official data, have drastically reduced homicides in the country. “I’d rather be called a dictator if it means that Salvadorans can finally live in peace,” he reiterated.
The president also criticized those who, in his view, focus on semantics while his government remains focused on tangible outcomes. “Let them stay stuck debating semantics. We’ll stay focused on achieving results,” he said. “And contrary to the lies they spread day and night, we have more results than any other government in our entire history.”
This message comes as El Salvador reaches historic levels of public safety and climbs in both regional and global rankings as one of the safest countries in the Western Hemisphere, according to polling firm CID Gallup.
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