El Salvador

Global

Against a backdrop of poverty, brutal violence, and entrenched corruption, Salvadorans went to the polls on February 3, 2019, and elected 37-year old Nayib Bukele, who ran an unorthodox campaign positioning himself as an alternative to the two parties who have dominated the country's political landscape. The expectations for this young president are huge, and so will be the disappointment if he doesn't succeed. Now, to deliver on his promises to fight corruption and curb violence, Bukele will have to work with the establishment on whose failures he rode to victory. But did his out-of-the-box communication style already burn those bridges? How did the country get to this political crossroads? And, will he live up to the image that Salvadorans voted for? For this episode, our host speaks with: Eric Olson - Director of Seattle International Foundation's Central America- DC Platform and a consultant to the Woodrow Wilson Center's Latin America Program Glenda Umaña - Journalist with CNN en Español, who recently spent time in El Salvador during the Presidential elections in February 2019. Dr. Felix Ulloa - Vice President-elect of El Salvador, who ran with President-elect Nayib Bukele on the GANA party ticket, ending decades of two-party rule.