El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele heads for reelection as president, buoyed by support for gang crackdown

By MEGAN JANETSKY and MARCOS ALEMÁN
Associated Press

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Voters in El Salvador appeared to give Nayib Bukele a second term as president, putting him well on his way to a landslide victory in an election that for many hinged on the tradeoff of curtailed civil liberties for security in a country once terrorized by gangs. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal put Bukele far ahead of his nearest competitor in preliminary and partial results late Sunday. After casting his vote, Bukele made clear that he expects the newly elected Legislative Assembly to continue extending the special powers he has enjoyed since March 2022 to combat the gangs.