May 27 (UPI) — A sharp drop in crime in El Salvador has made President Nayib Bukele one of Latin America’s most prominent leaders. As violence increases across the region, his security gains are drawing interest from local leaders looking to form a regional political movement, tapping into public frustration over crime and insecurity.
The so-called “Bukelista movement” began to take shape earlier this year during a meeting in Colombia that included participants from Chile and Guatemala. The group established a regional agenda to promote the model across Latin America. Among those attending was Colombian attorney Andrés Guzmán Caballero, who was appointed in 2023 by Bukele as El Salvador’s presidential commissioner for human rights and freedom of expression.
In Colombia, “Bukelismo” became an officially registered political party in April after receiving recognition from the National Electoral Council. “Bukelistas Colombia” is now active in 24 of the country’s 33 departments and plans to field candidates for the Senate and presidency in the next elections, according to Mauricio Morris, a political marketing expert and leader of the movement in Colombia.
Similar Bukelista movements and parties have formed in Chile, Ecuador, Peru, Honduras and Guatemala. The goal is to be active in 12 countries by the end of the year, Morris said.
The Bukelista movement was officially launched in Chile last weekend, with support from a group of local and regional officials. Guzmán Caballero attended the event, despite resigning from his Salvadoran government post just days earlier. At the launch, he presented Bukele’s security strategy and said the “Bukele model” could be replicated in other countries, citing similar crime problems across the region.
Speaking about El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT — the high-security mega-prison that recently received suspected gang members and other criminal detainees from the Trump administration — Guzmán Caballero said El Salvador’s approach goes beyond incarceration. The model also aims to combat corruption and support wide-reaching social development programs, he said.
During his visit to Chile, Guzmán Caballero also held a private meeting with Evelyn Matthei, the center-right presidential candidate currently leading in national polls.
Bukele’s administration has drawn global attention for both its results and controversies. El Salvador, once one of the most violent countries in the world, now reports one of the lowest homicide rates in Latin America. The shift has occurred under a state of emergency declared in 2022, which has led to the arrest of more than 85,000 people — many without warrants or access to legal counsel. Human rights groups including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have documented reports of torture, enforced disappearances and deaths in police custody.