Nayib Bukele's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A closer look at the biggest achievements of Nayib Bukele. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.

Nayib Bukele is the current president of El Salvador, serving since June 1, 2019. Prior to his presidency, Bukele was a businessman and politician. He is known for his unconventional governing style and use of social media. Some of his key policies include a crackdown on gang violence and the adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender. Bukele's administration has faced both praise for reducing crime rates and criticism for its authoritarian tendencies and potential human rights violations.

Sections (6)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition Challenges & Struggles Controversies & Scandals

March 2012: Elected Mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán

On March 11, 2012, Nayib Bukele was elected mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán with 51.67 percent of the vote.

November 2014: Spoke at United Nations Headquarters

In November 2014, Nayib Bukele spoke at United Nations headquarters about projects he had undertaken as mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán as part of the World Cities Day.

March 2015: Elected Mayor of San Salvador

On 1 March 2015, Nayib Bukele defeated Edwin Zamora with 50.38 percent of the vote to become the mayor of San Salvador.

September 2016: Visited Washington, D.C. and met with Mayor Muriel Bowser

In September 2016, Nayib Bukele visited Washington, D.C. and met with Mayor Muriel Bowser to discuss the implementation of urban-development projects and received the keys to the city of Gaithersburg, Maryland.

2016: Downward Trend in Homicide Rate Begins

In 2016, El Salvador began a downward trend in its homicide rate, which continued throughout Bukele's presidency.

July 2018: Presidential Nomination with GANA

On July 29, 2018, Bukele registered with the right-wing Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA) and received the party's presidential nomination. He selected Félix Ulloa as his vice-presidential candidate.

February 2019: Presidential Election Victory

On February 3, 2019, Nayib Bukele won the presidential election with 53.1 percent of the vote, defeating Carlos Calleja, Hugo Martínez, and Josué Alvarado.

March 2019: Acquittal in Assault Case

On March 29, 2019, Nayib Bukele was acquitted by the Specialized Sentencing Court in the case brought against him after being accused of assault.

June 2019: First Presidential Inauguration

On June 1, 2019, Nayib Bukele's first presidential inauguration was held at the National Palace. He became the 81st and the youngest president of El Salvador at the age of 37. He announced a sixteen-person cabinet composed of eight men and eight women.

June 2019: Territorial Control Plan Announcement

On June 19, 2019, Bukele announced the implementation of a seven-phase security Territorial Control Plan to disrupt gang finances, starting that night at midnight. Phase one involved stationing security forces in municipalities where gangs were known to collect extortion money.

July 2019: Territorial Control Plan Phase Two

In July 2019, phase two of the Territorial Control Plan, known as "opportunity", began, focusing on creating programs and initiatives to prevent youth crime.

August 2019: Territorial Control Plan Phase Three

In August 2019, phase three of the Territorial Control Plan, known as "modernization", began, focused on improving equipment used by the country's security forces.

December 2019: Honorary Doctorate from Beijing International Studies University

In December 2019, Beijing International Studies University awarded Bukele an honorary doctoral degree.

2019: Presidential Campaign and Promises

During his presidential campaign in 2019, Bukele and a network of YouTubers, bloggers, and internet trolls attempted to discredit ARENA and the FMLN. His campaign promises included combating corruption, developing infrastructure, creating job opportunities, and reducing crime.

2019: Won Presidential Election

In 2019, after the Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) refused to register his party, Nayib Bukele ran for president with the Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA) and won with 53 percent of the vote.

2020: Homicide Rate in El Salvador

In 2020, El Salvador's homicide rate was reported to be 19.7 per 100,000 people.

July 2021: Territorial Control Plan Phase Four

In July 2021, phase four of the Territorial Control Plan, known as "incursion", began, with security forces patrolling areas with a high gang presence.

2021: Homicide Rate in El Salvador

In 2021, El Salvador's homicide rate was reported to be 17.6 per 100,000 people.

2021: Named One of Time's 100 Most Influential People

In 2021, Time named Bukele as one of the world's 100 most influential people.

May 2022: Approval of gang crackdown by Salvadorans

Opinion polls between May 2022 and June 2023 indicated that 80 to 90 percent of Salvadorans approved of the gang crackdown and measures taken by the government against the gangs.

November 2022: Territorial Control Plan Phase Five

In November 2022, phase five of the Territorial Control Plan, known as "extraction", began. Security forces were ordered to surround cities and extract gang members.

2022: Homicide Rate in El Salvador

In 2022, El Salvador's homicide rate was reported to be 7.8 per 100,000 people.

September 2023: Territorial Control Plan Phase Six

In September 2023, phase six of the Territorial Control Plan, known as "integration", began with the establishment of the National Integration Directory to combat poverty and unemployment.

September 2023: COVID-19 vaccine doses administered

As of 27 September 2023, the WHO reported that 11,426,688 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in El Salvador.

December 2023: El Salvador's bitcoin investment breaks even

As the price of bitcoin rose to $44,000 in December 2023, Bukele announced that El Salvador's investment into bitcoin had broken even.

2023: Hosting ISA World Surfing Games and Central American and Caribbean Games

In 2023, El Salvador hosted the ISA World Surfing Games and the Central American and Caribbean Games. At the tournament's opening ceremony, Bukele responded to critics by asserting that he was not a dictator.

2023: Homicide Rate in El Salvador

In 2023, El Salvador's homicide rate was reported to be 2.4 per 100,000 people.

February 2024: Bukele wins re-election

On February 4, 2024, Bukele won re-election with 84.65% of the vote, becoming the first Salvadoran president re-elected since 1944. Nuevas Ideas retained its Legislative Assembly supermajority and, with its allies, won 43 of the country's 44 municipalities. Several news outlets described the election results as a "landslide victory".

March 2024: El Salvador profits from Bitcoin investment

In March 2024, Bukele stated that El Salvador had made a 50-percent profit from bitcoin. He also mocked news-media outlets on Twitter regarding their silence on the profits after many articles on El Salvador's bitcoin losses.

June 2024: Security situation improvement and consideration of ending state of emergency

In June 2024, Bukele told Time that the security situation in El Salvador had become sustainable and that he and his government hoped to end the state of emergency "in the near future".

June 2024: Second Presidential Inauguration

On June 1, 2024, Bukele's second presidential inauguration took place at the National Palace, featuring a military parade. Bukele evoked Simón Bolívar by wearing a Napoleonic-cut jacket and considered the event "the most important moment in our recent history".