The new president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, asked this Saturday during his inauguration speech for citizens to unite and assume their responsibilities in order to help cure the nation's ills.

After taking office as president of El Salvador for the 2019-2024 term in a ceremony at Capitan General Gerardo Barrios Plaza in the historic downtown area of San Salvador, the businessman gave his first speech as the new president of this Central American country before thousands of people gradually arriving at the site, including seven heads of state and at least 32 delegations from other countries. </s> Conservative businessman Nayib Bukele took the oath of office Saturday as president of El Salvador.

Bukele was sworn in by the speaker of the National Assembly in a square in downtown San Salvador, as a large, boisterous crowd applauded and shouted “We did it!”

Bukele, 37, was elected in February to succeed Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a leftist former guerrilla who maintained close relations with his Nicaraguan and Venezuelan counterparts.

Bukele has said he will seek closer ties with the United States, home to 2.5 million Salvadorans.

“I will be the president of all Salvadorans,” said Bukele, who takes over a country saddled with poverty and rampant gang violence. Both problems are prompting many to flee north in hopes of reaching the US.

The United States was represented by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. </s> Conservative businessman Nayib Bukele took the oath of office Saturday as president of El Salvador.

Bukele was sworn in by the speaker of the National Assembly in a square in downtown San Salvador, as a large, boisterous crowd applauded and shouted “We did it!”

Bukele, 37, was elected in February to succeed Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a leftist former guerrilla who maintained close relations with his Nicaraguan and Venezuelan counterparts.

Bukele has said he will seek closer ties with the United States, home to 2.5 million Salvadorans.

“I will be the president of all Salvadorans,” said Bukele, who takes over a country saddled with poverty and rampant gang violence. Both problems are prompting many to flee north in hopes of reaching the US.

The United States was represented by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross.

Nayib Armando Bukele Ortez who was born in San Salvador is the son of Olga Ortez de Bukele and Armando Bukele Kattán, a renowned businessman of Palestinian descent. At a very young age, Nayib was recognized for his skills and spirit of entrepreneurship. At just 18, he already ran a company. </s> In the Central American country of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele has been sworn-in as the nation’s President.

Bukele was sworn-in by the Speaker of the National Assembly in downtown San Salvador. Delegations from 83 countries attended the ceremony.

Bukele said, he will seek closer ties with the United States, which is home to some 2.5 million Salvadorans. Bukele was elected in February to succeed Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a leftist former guerrilla. </s> San Salvador, El Salvador- Nayib Bukele has declared victory in El Salvador's presidential elections after preliminary results showed him defeating the candidates of the two traditional parties that have long dominated the country's polarised politics.

"At this moment, we can announce with complete certainty that we have won the presidency of El Salvador in the first round," the 37-year-old, a former San Salvador mayor, told a press conference on Sunday evening.

"We made history," added Bukele, calling supporters to celebrate in Morazan Plaza in San Salvador's historic centre, one of the flagship revitalisation projects during his tenure as mayor of the capital.

With 99 percent of votes counted, Bukele was leading the race with 53 percent, exceeding the 50 percent threshold required to avoid a runoff.

His main rival, Carlos Calleja, of the conservative Nation Republican Alliance (ARENA), was second with 31.8 percent.

Ex-Foreign Minister Hugo Martinez, of the ruling left-wing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), trailed in at third place with 14.4 percent.

The new president will take office on June 1 for a five-year term.

Raquel Caballero, the human rights ombudswoman, told Al Jazeera that voting was smooth. "In general terms, the electoral process was carried out without incident," she said.

But Julio Olivo Granadino, the president of the electoral commission, told reporters that a press conference held by Bukele two hours before the closing of the polls, in which he urged voters to cast their ballots, marked a "clear" election campaigning violation.

Security and jobs

Bukele, previously a member of the left-wing FMLN, ran on a ticket with the right-wing GANA, an offshoot of ARENA.

In the lead-up to the vote, which was held against a backdrop of public disillusionment following several high-level corruption scandals, Bukele repeatedly lambasted the political class as corrupt and thieving.

Three out of four of the country's most recent presidents - from ARENA and the FMLN - have been investigated for embezzling millions from public coffers. Bukele also faces an investigation for possible tax evasion.

Bukele proposed setting up an internationally backed anti-impunity mission to combat corruption and promised voters he would create a "compact and efficient" government that used "big data" to solve problems.

For his part, Calleja, a United States-educated business executive whose family owns El Salvador's largest supermarket chain, campaigned on a platform of employment creation. A newcomer to politics, Calleja pledged to generate 300,000 jobs and run a government that interacted closely with the people.

The FMLN's Martinez, meanwhile, ran on a six-point platform of job creation, health, education, security, environmental protection and support for Salvadorans abroad.

"The most important [issue] is the insecurity," says Mario Leiba, 50, a long-time ARENA supporter who served in the army during the country's 12-year civil war that ended in 1992.

"I don't see a concrete response - they all promise the same thing. The question is whether they will fulfill (their promises)."

Top priorities

Last year, the country's murder rate dropped to 50 per 100,000 people, the lowest rate since a truce between rival gangs - covertly facilitated by the government - broke down in 2013. But while homicide numbers have dipped, reports of missing people have been on the rise in recent years.

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In addition to the dire security situation, the new government will inherit an ailing economy and an increasingly hostile attitude from Washington.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to cut aid to El Salvador, as well as neighbouring Honduras and Guatemala, over a steady outpouring of migrants heading north, which he says the region's governments have failed to contain.

A majority of Salvadorans believe their country's relationship with the US is deteriorating, according to a recent poll by the Centre for Citizen Studies.

"Insecurity, lack of jobs - that's why the [migrant] caravans are leaving," said Elgar Gonzalez, a 44-year-old delivery driver.

"The country is considered one of the most dangerous [in the world]. The government needs to deal with this," added Gonzalez.

During his time as San Salvador's mayor from 2015 to 2018, Bukele captured international attention as a millennial leader with a knack for social media and a plan to revitalise a city notorious for its gang violence.

His mayorship was marked by high approval ratings and is mostly remembered for remodelling public spaces in the historic city centre.

"It would be good if he [Bukele] continues the same pattern he had as mayor," said Gonzalez, who voted for Bukele. "Because he worked maybe not 100 percent but we saw [results from] what he did."

For another Bukele supporter, 29-year-old Camila Portillo, the new government's top priorities should include "eradicating corruption" and "being more inclusive of vulnerable communities".

'Different from traditional'

Alvaro Artiga, professor of political science at the Jose Simeon Canas Central American University, said Bukele's anti-establishment message struck a chord with the dissatisfied electorate - young voters, in particular.

"He presents himself as different from the traditional," said Artiga.

But without an established party, a Bukele administration would face steep challenges.

ARENA holds the largest bloc in the legislature, with 37 seats. It is followed by the FMLN, which has 23.

GANA and another smaller party Bukele allied with together hold 11 seats, while other parties control a total of 13 seats.

"He needs to strengthen his party," Artiga said of Bukele's likely political priority to seek gains in the 2021 legislative elections. "The only way to do that is by adopting measures with some popularity."

"In this sense, it could be that he continues with many of the [FMLN] programmes. But as he has promised a train along the coast, four new hospitals, a new airport - he will have to do some of that," Artiga said.

"The problem is whether he will be able to do it given the fiscal restrictions."

In addition to a stagnant economy, El Salvador struggles with steep public debt at 70 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), according to the World Bank.

María Teresa Martinez, a 65-year-old Bukele supporter, said she was concerned about her eight grandchildren's future.

"There's no work for the youth, the new government needs to address this. When there's work, there’s more development." </s> ‘Our country is like a sick child, we all have to take care of it’: Nayib Bukele sworn in as president of El Salvador </s> Nayib Bukele, a businessman and former mayor of Palestinian descent, took office Saturday as president of El Salvador, tasked with turning around grinding poverty and rampant gang violence that are sending thousands fleeing to the United States.

Bukele was sworn in by the speaker of the National Assembly in a square in downtown San Salvador, as a large, boisterous crowd applauded and shouted “We did it!”

The son of a Muslim imam and a Christian, Bukele describes himself as believing in God rather than an adherent to a religion, an apparent effort to steer clear of any anti-Muslim sentiment.

The telegenic Bukele, 37, was elected in February to succeed Salvador Sanchez Ceren, a leftist former guerrilla who maintained close relations with his Nicaraguan and Venezuelan counterparts.

Bukele has said he will seek closer ties with the United States, home to 2.5 million Salvadorans.

With only 6.6 million people living in the small Central American country, its fortunes are closely linked to the United States which nearly a third of its citizens call home.

“I will be the president of all Salvadorans,” Bukele pledged.

“Our country is like a sick child, we all have to take care of it.”

US President Donald Trump, who has railed against the waves of migrants flooding into his country from El Salvador as well as Honduras and Guatemala, wished Bukele well on Twitter.

“Congratulations President Bukele on your inauguration! The United States stands ready to work with @NayibBukele to advance prosperity in El Salvador and the hemisphere,” Trump said.

Official estimates indicate an average of 200 Salvadorans leave the country per day to enter the United States without documents.

Some analysts have called Bukele a millennial president: above all because he is at ease on social media, but also because he often adopts a casual appearance, ditching a tie and wearing his hair in a ponytail.

Critics say Bukele, former mayor of the capital San Salvador, is light on policy and substance.

He has said a priority of his five-year term is cracking down on gangs that recruit young people into their ranks, while profiting off drug trafficking and extortion.

El Salvador last year tallied 3,340 homicides. That was 15 percent less than in 2017, but still amounted to a rate of 51 killings per 100,000 inhabitants, making it one of the world’s most violent countries not at war.

The fearsome gangs, with an estimated 70,000 members, are blamed for much of the violence.

The United States was represented by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. </s> Presidential candidate Nayib Bukele, of the Grand Alliance for National Unity, center, his wife Gabriela, right, and the Vice-president candidate Felix Ulloa wave supporters in San Salvador, El Salvador, Sunday, Feb. 3, 2019. Bukele, a youthful former mayor of the capital, easily won El Salvador's presidency, getting more votes than his three rivals combined to usher out the two parties that dominated politics for a quarter century in the crime-plagued Central America nation. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador's new president-elect won in resounding fashion, but breaking the three-decade hold on power of the country's two dominant parties means that Nayib Bukele will take office with few friends in congress.

The 37-year-old former mayor has an ambitious agenda, topped by a vow to root out corruption. To accomplish that and many other campaign promises, Bukele will have to find allies who can help.

Bukele won with more than 53 percent of the votes Sunday, topping three rivals. But GANA — the Grand Alliance for National Unity party that he carried to victory — has only 10 seats in the legislature, well short of the 43 votes needed to pass laws.

"This new government is going to be weak," said Alvaro Artiga, a professor of political science and sociology at the Jose Simeon Canas Central American University. "It's that institutionally it doesn't have legislative support."

The outgoing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, or FMLN, government had a difficult time of it as a minority presence in the Legislative Assembly, and it had 23 of the 84 seats.

And Bukele's promise to establish a commission to investigate official corruption modeled on a U.N.-backed effort in Guatemala is unlikely to win him friends among the FMLN or the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance, or ARENA. That party itself has 37 deputies and its allied parties have 12 more.

Bukele will need to send a message immediately through his cabinet picks that it won't be business as usual, and avoid cronyism, Artiga said. "It can't be the friends, the relatives, all that he has accused the usual suspects of," he said.

"He can't repeat that, because people voted as a rejection," Artiga said. Bukele will start his five-year term June 1.

El Salvador is small both in size and population, with just 6.5 million people. Close to a third of its households live in poverty, and Salvadorans searching for a better life have joined recent caravans of migrants trekking across Mexico hoping to reach the U.S.

Bukele rose quickly through the ranks of the FMLN, a former guerrilla army that transformed itself into a political party after a 1992 peace deal ended the nation's civil war. He first won election as a youthful small-town mayor and then became mayor of San Salvador, the capital. But his persistent criticisms of FMLN leadership got him expelled from the party. Joining GANA — which has been a right-leaning party — was a last-minute move just to get on the ballot.

"It was always about the size of the resentment among the urban middle class toward the country's elites," said political analyst and former guerrilla commander Salvador Samayoa. "It was never that he was the best, most honest, most wholesome, most capable candidate."

Voters were tied of corruption, the lack of economic opportunities and the persistent violence.

"I voted, everybody in my family voted for Bukele because we're tired of these ARENA and FMLN governments that steal money," said 42-year-old Manuel Lopez as he headed to work Monday. "Nobody believes them."

"Two presidents from ARENA, Paco Flores, Tony Saca and one from FMLN, Mauricio Funes, have stolen everything they could," he said. </s> SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - El Salvador’s new president, Nayib Bukele, took office on Saturday pledging to cure the Central American country that he described as a “sick child” following years of violence and migration that has strained relations with the United States.

New Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele speaks after receiving the presidential sash during a swearing-in ceremony in San Salvador, El Salvador June 1, 2019. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

The 37-year-old former mayor of San Salvador, who won more votes than all other candidates in the February presidential election, brought an end to a two-party system that has held sway over the country for three decades.

“Our country is like a sick child, now it’s up to all of us to take care of it,” Bukele told the crowd. “We have to suffer a little now, we have to have a little pain, assume our responsibility and all as brothers to bring forward that child.”

Accompanied by his pregnant wife Gabriela Rodriguez, Bukele vowed to make bitter decisions for the impoverished and violence-plagued Central American country during his five year term. He did not give details.

His presidency breaks three decades of bipartisanship between the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) and the outgoing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN).

Bukele, who has been critical of Beijing in the past, must now balance the interests of China and the United States.

The Chinese embassy in El Salvador said in a statement on Twitter that Bukele had told a special envoy he considered China a friend and that there was “great potential” to work together.

El Salvador broke ties with Taiwan in August last year to establish relations with China, following the Dominican Republic and Panama in the region.

U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated Bukele on Saturday on Twitter, saying the United States was ready to work with him “to advance prosperity in El Salvador and the hemisphere.”

Trump has frequently threatened to cut aid to El Salvador - as well as neighboring Guatemala and Honduras - if they do not do more to curb migration to the United States.

The U.S. Department of Commerce said in a statement that the United States sent a delegation led by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross to attend the ceremony.

While in El Salvador, the statement said, Ross met with Bukele and his Foreign Minister, Alexandra Hill, as well as with business leaders to discuss improving the investment climate and potential for economic growth.

Tensions over migration have been running high between the United States and its southern neighbor Mexico, with Trump threatening earlier this week to impose punitive tariffs on Mexican goods exported to the United States on June 10.

Mexican Economy Minister Graciela Marquez, who also attended the event in San Salvador, tweeted a picture of herself and Ross, saying they had spoken and would continue their dialogue next week in Washington.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez were not invited to the ceremony, since Bukele considers them “undemocratic” governments.
El Salvador's new President Nayib Bukele takes office.