Central America
“I hope to leave an irreversible path for the development of El Salvador”: President Nayib Bukele
The political opposition attempts to halt the changes and transformations driven by the Executive, while organizations and the international community try to prevent sovereign decision-making, stated President Nayib Bukele in an open conversation on Space.
The President of the Republic, Nayib Bukele, expressed yesterday that, as a leader, his desire is not only to achieve the full development of El Salvador but also to pave the way for progress and prosperity that is irreversible, preventing the political opposition from undoing the achievements.
“I want to see a developed country, developed in the right way, and that we can be an example to the world,” said the president in the conversation held last night with thousands of people from the Latin American region who connected to the Space event through the X social network.
He reiterated that the Salvadoran political opposition could roll back the advances made by the current government if they return to power.
On February 4, presidential and legislative elections will be held in El Salvador, and voters will decide at the polls whether the political opposition (led by ARENA and FMLN) will regain power or if Nayib Bukele will be re-elected.
“I want El Salvador to be an example for the rest of the world. What I hope at the end of my term is to leave an irreversible path for El Salvador in its development, and there should be no way to return to the past,” reaffirmed the leader in the conversation, where participants were free to ask questions on various national and regional current affairs.
He pointed out that it has not been easy to drive changes and social transformations in El Salvador, especially due to the resistance encountered at the national level with the political opposition and at the international level with countries and organizations that try to influence politics and sovereign decisions.
In that sense, he specified that there are international organizations that fund individuals and media to influence political power directly or indirectly, promoting “harmful” agendas for countries like El Salvador, which seeks to overcome underdevelopment.
“They basically promote an agenda harmful to the world. Our countries are not only held hostage by their local problems but also by an international elite financed by people like George Soros, from the Open Society Foundation. There are more [people] promoting a civilizational destruction agenda with the aim of making money, as every world crisis is a business for them,” said Bukele.
He added that these organizations handle immense amounts of money and power, although their leaders have never been elected by populations. “There is a cohort of journalists, lawyers following this agenda. One of their fundamental pillars is these [media] outlets,” he said.
He argued that various bodies, such as the United Nations, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH), among others, also oppose poor nations developing their own agendas, contrary to the goals they claim to work towards.
For example, once the state of exception was implemented in March 2022, as a constitutional measure that strengthened the execution of the Territorial Control Plan, international organizations began criticizing, demanding an end to the implementation.
Likewise, when removing judges, politicians, and amending laws to eliminate conditions that fostered violence, international powers demanded a return to the previous “status quo,” even though our country was the most insecure in the world.
“Their argument was institutionality, the rule of law. What rule of law were they talking about? They simply protested, almost demanded, and required us to return to how the country was. Thank God our country is different now, and it was largely because we did not heed what these types of organizations and the international community were saying, which have never looked out for us,” he stated.
According to the president, the real goal of opposing historic changes is for populations in other countries to follow the example and replace the current politicians, as happened in El Salvador with the traditional parties ARENA and FMLN.
Central America
Nicaragua’s Ortega and Murillo Mourn Pope Francis, Acknowledge ‘Difficult’ Relationship
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and Vice President Rosario Murillo, who also serve as co-leaders of the country, expressed their condolences on Monday following the death of Pope Francis, acknowledging that their relationship with the late pontiff had been “difficult” and “troubled.” Nicaragua officially suspended diplomatic ties with the Vatican during his papacy.
“Our relationship, as Nicaraguans who are believers, devoted and faithful to the doctrine of Christ Jesus, was difficult and troubled—unfortunately shaped by adverse and painful circumstances that were not always understood,” Ortega and Murillo wrote in a message of condolence.
“Despite the complexity and hardships, despite the manipulation we all know occurred, despite everything, we kept our hope alive through Christian faith,” they continued. “We understood the distance, and above all, the complicated and strained communication that prevented better relations. We also recognized the confusion caused by strident voices that disrupted any attempt at genuine interaction.”
Pope Francis had previously compared the Ortega regime to communist dictatorships and even to Hitler, a remark that further strained relations between Managua and the Holy See.
Central America
Cardinal Rodríguez to Attend Funeral of Pope Francis: “He Was Very Dear to Me”
Honduran Cardinal Óscar Andrés Rodríguez announced on Monday that he will attend the funeral services of Pope Francis, who passed away at the age of 88 at his residence in Casa Santa Marta due to a stroke.
“We will be there throughout the novena and then, God willing, at the burial,” Rodríguez said in a phone interview with HRN Radio in Tegucigalpa, apparently calling from Spain.
He added that the last time he saw Pope Francis was in October 2024, during and at the end of that year’s synod, and that they remained in contact through email. “Sometimes, the Pope would even call me,” said Rodríguez, who was born on December 29, 1942, and was made a cardinal by Pope John Paul II on February 21, 2001.
Rodríguez expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Pope Francis, saying: “He was a very dear person to me.”
However, he also shared a message of hope, pointing out that the Holy Father passed away during Easter: “This is a sign. He gave his life completely like the Lord Jesus, and though he died, we believe in faith that he has risen, now with Christ in eternal life.”
Rodríguez, who for ten years coordinated the Vatican’s Council of Cardinals, was one of the eight cardinals selected by Pope Francis to help govern the Catholic Church and reform the Roman Curia.
In January 2023, upon turning 80, Rodríguez stepped down as Archbishop of Tegucigalpa, and Pope Francis appointed Spanish priest José Vicente Nácher Tatay as his successor.
Central America
Senator Van Hollen Meets with Deported MS-13 Member in El Salvador; Trump and Bukele React
U.S. Democratic Senator Chris Van Hollen, representing the state of Maryland, held a meeting in El Salvador with deported MS-13 gang member Kilmar Ábrego García, a member of the criminal group classified by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization.
“Kilmar Ábrego García, miraculously resurrected from the ‘extermination camps’ and ‘torture chambers,’ now sipping margaritas with Senator Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!” wrote President Nayib Bukeleon X (formerly Twitter), sharing photos of Van Hollen, Ábrego García, and a lawyer sitting together at a Salvadoran hotel.
The deported gang member is seen wearing a plaid shirt and a flat-brimmed cap, seated at a table with glasses and coffee cups. The senator also shared images of the meeting on his own social media accounts.
Bukele reaffirmed that Ábrego will remain in El Salvador and will not be returned to the United States.
“Now that his health has been confirmed, he has earned the honor of remaining under the custody of El Salvador,” Bukele added.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump criticized the senator’s meeting with Ábrego on Truth Social, calling Van Hollen “a fool” for advocating for Ábrego’s return to the U.S.
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