Central America
Nayib Bukele, the ruler who breaks ideologies in favor of the people

October 2 |
Nayib Bukele is a president who has transcended ideologies, which has allowed him to work without political-party ties for El Salvador and its inhabitants, especially the marginalized, the excluded and those in vulnerable situations, according to political and social analysts.
Mauricio Rodríguez and Nelson Flores, sociologist and specialist in public administration, respectively, agree that all the projects developed by the Bukele administration have the common denominator of benefiting the communities.
“Transcending ideologies allows us to see the problems of the population to attack them head on and in a forceful manner, and that is what has been done since [Bukele] came to power,” ponders political analyst and sociologist Mauricio Rodríguez.
While Flores considers that “President Bukele from the beginning of his administration managed to capture and understand the common feeling and the real needs of the most unprotected and marginalized population for decades”.
Both analysts also consider that, by transcending ideologies, the Salvadoran president is guaranteeing the welfare and social development of Salvadorans who for years were at the center of the class struggle of right and left.
“President Bukele’s actions made a difference, and his policy focused on seeking the welfare of the population with specific and timely actions,” says Flores, who is also an international cooperation consultant.
Flores maintains that Bukele, with his plan for the nation, has transcended ideologies in the areas of public security, education, health, housing and technology, with which he has put Salvadorans at the center without distinction.
“The population was unprotected and marginalized for decades by a bipartisanship [ARENA and FMLN] that only sought to satisfy the interests of its political leaders and ruling class,” he recalls.
Meanwhile, Rodríguez also maintains that the Bukele administration “has left ideologies aside and has made El Salvador move forward” despite the ungovernability caused by the previous Legislative Assembly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world economic crisis, among other external factors.
As part of his presidential administration without ideological ties, Bukele has consolidated diplomatic relations and friendship with powers such as the United States, Turkey, the People’s Republic of China, among others. Diplomatic relations were recently established with Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Burundi and Angola, in the African continent.
On the contrary, every year-end ARENA and FMLN showed how to block -for ideological reasons- the development of the country and the wellbeing of its inhabitants. The FMLN and ARENA in the Legislative Assembly conditioned their votes on the approval of the general state budget. The ARENOS repeated the same script when they were the opposition in the Congress and the Farabunditas governed the Executive.
Former ARENA advisor and political analyst Carlos Araujo has recognized that the so-called representative democracy and the balance of power have only served for the opposition to block each other and affect the welfare of the people.
“During these 30 years one was in the Government and the other side was in the Assembly with the opposition, and what did they do? They blocked each other […]. Democracy did not solve the big problems that the people demanded”, explains Araujo.
With his triumph in February 2019, Bukele broke with 30 years of the arenero-efemelenista bipartisanship, being considered a person without ideological prejudices that has allowed building a new country from Plan Cuscatlán.
His triumph at the polls, with over 53% of votes, made him the youngest president in the recent history of El Salvador who did not have the traditional ARENA and FMLN parties as his guide, both of which are today splashed by corruption scandals after leaving the Executive.
Bukele is the best evaluated and most popular head of state of El Salvador more than four years after the beginning of his administration, something unprecedented in the recent history of the country, as well as the most influential politician in the region, according to surveys of national and international firms.
With a view to the 2024 elections, Bukele has a 68.4% voting intention, according to the latest public opinion poll of the Universidad Francisco Gavidia (UFG).
Central America
Panama begins reverse migration by sea for 109 stranded migrants

Panamanian authorities have transported a group of 109 migrants of various nationalities by sea to La Miel, a Caribbean town on the country’s border with Colombia, to continue their return journey to South America. The move comes after the migrants failed to settle in the United States, following stricter immigration policies implemented under the administration of former President Donald Trump.
The National Migration Service (SNM) of Panama announced in a statement on Tuesday that the transfer was carried out from the Caribbean port of Colón using a vessel from Panama’s National Aeronaval Service (Senan). The operation was part of the country’s so-called “reverse flow” initiative, aimed at facilitating the safe return of migrants.
The official report noted that the group included migrants from nine different nationalities, with 75 adults and 34 minors on board. Authorities emphasized the “inter-institutional commitment to safe and humanitarian reverse migration.”
A source familiar with the process, speaking anonymously to EFE, confirmed that the vessel departed on Monday. Many of the migrants had opted into the reverse flow program after arriving at the Temporary Attention Center for Migrants (CATEM) in Costa Rica, where coordination was made with Panamanian authorities for their return.
Central America
Ombudsman: Tear gas overused in Arimae protest crackdown

Panama’s Ombudsman Office stated on Tuesday that the National Police (PN) used excessive tear gas to disperse a protest in the indigenous community of Arimae, which escalated into a violent clash lasting several hours and leaving multiple people injured on both sides.
After a two-day visit to Arimae, a town in the Darién province about 200 kilometers from Panama City, Ombudsman Eduardo Leblanc reported that “there was clear evidence of the excessive use of tear gas in the community, which has caused various health issues among the population.”
The confrontation occurred on June 5, when police forces arrived to clear a section of the Pan-American Highway — which spans the entire country — that had been blocked by residents using tree trunks. The blockade was part of a protest against a newly enacted social security reform.
According to EFE, police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, while demonstrators hurled rocks, sticks, arrows, and even Molotov cocktails.
Central America
Honduras sees 7.8% rise in external public debt year-on-year

Honduras’ public sector external debt reached $9.96 billion by the end of April 2025, marking a 7.8% increasecompared to the same period in 2024, according to a report released Tuesday by the country’s Central Bank (BCH).
The figure represents a rise of $725.8 million compared to the $9.24 billion recorded between January and April 2024.
However, the debt balance decreased by $243.2 million compared to December 2024, when it stood at $10.2 billion. This reduction was primarily due to higher principal payments totaling $410.8 million, while new disbursements reached only $87.4 million, resulting in a net amortization of $323.4 million. This effect was partially offset by unfavorable exchange rate fluctuations, which increased the debt balance by $80.2 million.
By institution, the general government holds 90.8% of the debt (approximately $9.05 billion), followed by the monetary authority with 7.7% ($770 million), non-financial public enterprises with 1.3% ($126.6 million), and public financial institutions with 0.2% ($16.5 million), the BCH detailed.
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