What Can We Learn From President Bukele's Momentum Building?

Blog Post
Written By Nicole Vasquez

Recently, there's been much news and notoriety surrounding President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador who vowed to make his country safer, despite being one of the world's most dangerous places.

After gaining popularity for El Salvador's 'stunning crime drop,' President Bukele is now facing criticism and accusations of human rights violations after arresting more than 75,000 people (more than 1% of the country's population), in an 'assault on gangs.'

This crackdown sparked concerns about the erosion of democratic freedoms and rule of law in El Salvador, yet what's fascinating is that despite President Bukele's actions he remains very popular with Salvadorans.

In a podcast episode by The NY Times, a woman named Irma, whose son Mario was mistakenly arrested, continued to support President Bukele despite not being able to see her son, and her eight-year-old grandson not knowing what happened to his father.

With President Bukele's swift rise in El Salvador politics and global name recognition, I was curious to research his story and understand how he came to this position of power so succinctly.

Specifically, what tactics, conditions, and other circumstances were part of his rapid momentum building?

I've organized President Bukele's activities below using the Momentum By Design framework.

The aim here is not to endorse gaining power for controversial acts, but rather to analyze the methods behind President Bukele's momentum building.

Part One: The Strategy of Play

  • A clear mission: President Bukele chose the issue of safety and security as his clear mission, and the crackdown on gangs as his direct path to achieving his mission.

  • Direct, personal appeal: By strategically choosing social media as his primary tool for communication and propaganda, President Bukele bypassed traditional media channels. This allowed him to directly engage with and mobilize voters.

Part Two: Navigating the Ecosystem

  • Differentiation: President Bukele identified and capitalized on the public's disillusionment with traditional political parties, and positioned himself as an outsider offering a new path forward.

  • Strategic Maneuvering: After his party's 2021 election victory, the congress replaced constitutional court judges with Bukele supporters. These new judges later allowed Bukele to pursue re-election, despite constitutional prohibitions against it.

Part Three: Bringing the Right Mix Together

  • Rallying support: Through populist policies, direct communication, and results in reducing gang violence, President Bukele used these as his rallying cry to captivate and mobilize supporters.

  • Forming a team: Bukele gathered a legislative majority that backed his agenda, including the extension of special powers to combat gangs, showing he can get the government to work together.

Part Four: Sustaining the Momentum or Passing the Torch

  • Long-term vision: President Bukele continues to tell a story of massive change, and a new and better future for El Salvador.

  • Continual motion: Bukele secured a landslide victory for a second term, and references his widespread support to show his ability to sustain public approval, all while continuing to pursue his agenda.

So where does President Bukele go from here?

In the coming months, I'll be watching how President Bukele sustains his momentum.

These are the questions I'll be seeking answers to:

  • Will the people of El Salvador forego certain rights for the greater good long term?

  • Is the 'approved of' momentum that President Bukele previously built enough to sustain him through his controversial decision making now?

  • Will a leader like Bukele maintain a position of power for the long run?

Seeing the varying responses around the world to Bukele's recent actions, it's clear that the same action can be interpreted in many ways.

By the time my book Momentum By Design is published, perhaps we'll see what becomes of President Bukele's leadership and power.

Between now and then, I'll be closely watching how his story unfolds.

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References

Nicole Vasquez
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