Economist Podcasts Just getting started: El Salvador’s president for life
39 snips
Aug 13, 2025 
In this discussion, Sarah Birke, The Economist's bureau chief for Mexico, Central America, and the Caribbean, and Carrie Richmond Jones, the international economics correspondent, delve into Nayib Bukele's controversial reign in El Salvador. They explore his strategies in tackling gang violence and the erosion of democratic norms as he seeks to remain in power indefinitely. The conversation also touches on the surprising decline in U.S. fertility rates, particularly in high-birth states, and the transformation of France's Provence region into a glamorous lifestyle brand.
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Bukele's Consolidation Of Power
- Nayib Bukele has systematically removed checks on his power, enabling indefinite re-election.
- Constitutional and electoral changes make it easier for him and his party to stay in office long-term.
Legal Changes Enable Rule Rewrites
- The legislature removed presidential term limits and eased the process to rewrite the constitution.
- Bukele's New Ideas party holds a supermajority that can rapidly change rules to benefit the president.
Electoral Engineering To Secure Victory
- Election rules were altered so a plurality can win without a runoff and the next vote was moved earlier to 2027.
- These changes make it harder for opposition to prepare and easier for the incumbent to prevail.
