Nayib Bukele used to call himself the “world’s coolest dictator” as a joke. No one’s laughing now — and he’s stopped pretending it was ever a joke.
Marking six years in power this week, Bukele declared that he “doesn’t care if they call him a dictator” in a press statement circulated on state and pro-government channels.
→ Original video reference confirmed in YouTube coverage: [Example URL placeholder]
The comment comes after a second year under a sweeping “state of exception” that suspends constitutional rights and has resulted in over 75,000 detentions, many without charges, hearings, or timelines.
International watchdogs like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have condemned the move as systemic repression cloaked in populist approval ratings. But inside El Salvador, support remains high — partly due to mass media loyalty, partly due to fear.
Behind the “public safety” language:
- Prisons are overflowing
- Legal access is denied
- Reports of torture and extrajudicial deaths are rising
Bukele’s government claims it’s a war on gangs. But critics point out that “gang member” is now a blanket label applied to dissenters, journalists, and opposition figures.
In tandem, Bukele has:
- Centralised digital infrastructure for surveillance
- Purged courts and installed loyal judges
- Extended emergency powers indefinitely
What once looked like an experiment now reads like a case study — in how to use meme politics, militarised optics, and anti-crime rhetoric to dismantle institutional checks in real time.
Six years ago, he said the quiet part out loud.
Now he doesn’t even need to whisper.