Nayib Bukele

President Nayib Bukele registered his pre-candidacy for a third consecutive term. A 2025 constitutional change removed term limits and extended the presidential term to six years. The general election is scheduled for February 28, 2027, with party primaries on July 12.

At least 1,450 deaths have been reported, with rescue teams from El Salvador, Venezuela, and Mexico working to save Aaron Levi Cantillo Vargas, 21, trapped in Caraballeda, La Guaira state. The death toll is expected to rise as search efforts continue.

Salvadoran rescuers in Venezuela located 15-year-old Camila Sofía Medina Rivas, trapped under rubble since earthquakes, and are working to free her. President Nayib Bukele also reported the rescue of 39-year-old Nayarit Colmenares, who was trapped in Caraballeda.

Venezuela was struck by two powerful earthquakes, causing at least 32 deaths and hundreds injured. International leaders and countries including Pakistan, the US, Mexico, and El Salvador expressed solidarity and offered aid.

Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative businessman endorsed by Donald Trump, won Colombia’s presidential runoff election by defeating Iván Cepeda by 1 percentage point. The result marked a rejection of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s policies, including efforts to establish dialogue with armed groups.

Conservative businessman Abelardo de la Espriella, endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump, won Colombia’s presidential runoff election against progressive candidate Iván Cepeda by 1 percentage point, marking a shift from outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s policies. Cepeda conceded after a recount confirmed de la Espriella’s victory, which reflects voter dissatisfaction with Petro’s 'total peace' initiatives and economic challenges.

Progressive candidate Iván Cepeda conceded Colombia’s presidential election to Abelardo de la Espriella, a conservative businessman endorsed by U.S. President Donald Trump. De la Espriella won by 1 percentage point, marking a rejection of outgoing President Gustavo Petro’s policies, including the 'total peace' initiative. De la Espriella, a Trump supporter and Republican Party member, plans to adopt strict crime-fighting strategies similar to Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele’s approach.

Colombians voted in a runoff presidential election between Iván Cepeda, endorsed by President Gustavo Petro, and Abelardo de la Espriella, endorsed by President Donald Trump. The candidates differ on continuing peace talks with armed groups, with de la Espriella securing 43.73% and Cepeda 40.91% in the first round. Voting locations included sites in Colombia and specific precincts in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties.

Colombia's polarized presidential election features Iván Cepeda, a peace activist advocating for continued negotiations with armed groups, and Abelardo de la Espriella, a Trump-endorsed candidate promising a harsh crackdown on crime. Voters, including trauma survivors like Blanca Nubia Monroy and Sigifredo López, share a fear of returning to the country's violent past, despite a 2016 peace pact with FARC that has not fully resolved ongoing conflicts.

Crime surges in some Latin American countries are fueling a far-right political backlash, with conservative populists leveraging tough-on-crime rhetoric to gain support. Leaders like El Salvador's Nayib Bukele and Peru's Keiko Fujimori are promoting security-focused policies, backed by U.S. President Donald Trump, amid rising concerns about extortion and gang violence in nations such as Colombia, Peru, and Honduras.

El Salvador's Decree 531 reduces the physical presence requirement for residency to 90 days per year, positioning it as a competitive tax haven with 0% tax on foreign income and Bitcoin gains. The country's territorial tax system and corporate incentives aim to attract entrepreneurs, investors, and remote professionals.

El Salvador, the first country to grant bitcoin legal tender status in 2021, continues accumulating BTC, holding 7,677 BTC worth $480 million as of 2026. Despite removing bitcoin’s mandatory legal tender status in 2025 to secure an IMF loan, the government has not sold any coins and remains committed to bitcoin and AI development.

Uruguay's President Yamandú Orsi fell to 12th among 18 Latin American presidents in a June ranking by Argentine consultancy CB. Orsi's positive image rating of 38.8% placed him in the 'regular' band, a drop of one position from May.

Abelardo de la Espriella, a pro-Trump candidate, led Colombia's first-round presidential election with 44% of the vote, promising a crime crackdown. Progressive candidate Iván Cepeda and President Gustavo Petro disputed the results without evidence, while de la Espriella challenged Cepeda to a debate ahead of the June 21 runoff. The United Nations observed the election's orderly conduct and urged peaceful campaigning.

Abelardo de la Espriella, a far-right defense attorney and businessman, led the first round of Colombia’s presidential election, supported by U.S. President Donald Trump and El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele. He pledged to combat armed groups in Colombia’s rural areas.

Colombia's first-round presidential election saw conservative candidate Abelardo de la Espriella, known as 'The Tiger,' secure a surprise victory, positioning him for a June 21 runoff against leftist Ivan Cepeda. De la Espriella's campaign focuses on a hardline approach to criminal organizations and security, contrasting with President Gustavo Petro's 'Total Peace' policy. Analysts link his success to a regional shift in Latin America against leftist governments.

Abelardo de la Espriella, a pro-Trump lawyer, led Colombia's presidential first-round election with 44% of the vote, surpassing Senator Iván Cepeda, who received 41%. De la Espriella, promising a harsh anti-crime strategy inspired by El Salvador's president Nayib Bukele, will face Cepeda in a June 21 runoff.

Over 70% of Colombian voters in the U.S. supported Abelardo de la Espriella, a pro-Trump candidate, in Colombia’s presidential election. De la Espriella received 155,816 votes in the U.S., while Iván Cepeda, a left-wing socialist, secured 32,324 votes. The election results triggered demands for an audit from Cepeda and President Gustavo Petro.

Abelardo de la Espriella, a pro-Trump lawyer, led Colombia's first-round presidential election with 44% of the vote, surpassing progressive Senator Iván Cepeda. Cepeda and President Gustavo Petro questioned the results without evidence, and de la Espriella is expected to advance to a June 21 runoff. His campaign emphasized a crackdown on crime, mirroring policies of El Salvador's Nayib Bukele.

Aberaldo de la Espriella, a pro-Trump lawyer, led Colombia's presidential first round with 44% of the vote, surpassing progressive candidate Iván Cepeda. De la Espriella, known as 'El Tigre,' promised a crime crackdown modeled after El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele. A runoff is scheduled for June 21.

Pro-Trump candidate Aberaldo de la Espriella leads Colombia's presidential race with 44% of the vote, surpassing progressive senator Iván Cepeda (41%). De la Espriella, who promises a crackdown on crime modeled after El Salvador's Bukele, faces Cepeda in a June 21 runoff. Experts doubt his strategy can replicate Bukele's success due to Colombia's size and complexity.

A hardline candidate in Colombia's presidential election promises to dismantle drug cartels and reset security policies, reflecting a regional trend of security-focused leaders. The election pits Abelardo De La Espriella against leftist Iván Cepeda and center-right Paloma Valencia, with potential implications for U.S.-Colombia cooperation on drug interdiction and security.

Kilmar Armando Ábrego García, a Salvadoran alleged MS-13 gang member, was charged with alien smuggling and conspiracy after allegedly transporting thousands of illegal immigrants and causing a deadly tractor-trailer crash. An Obama-nominated judge dismissed the charges, prompting criticism from the Trump administration and claims that García represents the 'worst of the worst' in illegal immigration.

Nayib Bukele, the 44-year-old president of El Salvador, has implemented policies leading to the world's highest imprisonment rate and eliminated presidential term limits, raising questions about his future governance.

El Salvador's court initiated a mass trial of 486 alleged MS-13 gang members under President Nayib Bukele's emergency powers. Human rights groups criticize the trial for violating due process and restricting legal access, as charges include over 47,000 crimes from 2012 to 2022.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele signed reforms enabling life prison sentences for minors as young as 12 convicted of serious crimes. The reforms target homicide, femicide, rape, and gang membership.

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has signed reforms allowing life prison sentences for individuals as young as 12 convicted of committing or being an accomplice to crimes including homicide, femicide, rape, and gang membership.