Bukele, Maduro, and the Expandingโค Influence ofโ Power
Nayib BukeleS recent re-election as President ofโฃ El salvador, โขdespite constitutional prohibitions, has drawn parallelsโ – and โขdistinctions – to other leaders in Latin America, โขnotably Nicolรกs Maduro of Venezuela. While Bukele and Maduroโ publicly โฃmaintain โฃa distance, even expressing mutual dislike, instances of cooperation and sharedโ approaches toโข powerโค dynamics exist.
Bukele โฃsecured โขa landslide victory after a controversial interpretation by Elโฃ Salvador’s Supreme โคCourt allowedโค him โขto run, arguing he hadn’t held office in โคthe six months prior to the election – a reading even questioned by a former U.S. chargรฉ โขd’affaires. This decision followed Bukele’s reshapingโค of the court’s composition throughโข his parliamentaryโ majority.The re-election โwasโ largely attributed to public approval โฃof โขhis management’sโค efforts to combat gang violence.
A notable, if indirect, connection between the two administrations arose from a โdeal involving Venezuelan deportees.El โขSalvador, under Bukele, rented its Cecot prison to the United States to house 252 Venezuelans deported from the U.S. The Maduro โregime later facilitated their return to Venezuela, framing the eventโ as a “ransom” โdespite its previous open policy regardingโฃ venezuelan exile.
Beyond politics, the Bukele family’s influence is expanding โฃinto other sectors.Yamil Bukele, the president’s half-brother (one of ten children from โhis father Armando Bukele Kattรกn’s relationships), isโข set to become โฃthe nextโฃ president of the Salvadoran soccer federation. He will first need to resign from his current position as head of the National Sportsโค Institute, an appointment secured through presidential influence.
This expansion of power within โฃEl Salvador’sโฃ football organization echoes concerns surrounding the Venezuelan Football Federation, which hasโฃ long been plagued by mismanagement and allegations of corruption. While Venezuela looks ahead to โthe 2030 World Cup,hoping to improve its performance,El Salvador – a past World Cupโค participant in 1970 and โฃ1982 – continues to struggleโค with qualification,and Yamil Bukele’s appointment is unlikely to yield โขimmediate results.
