BUKELISMO AND THE ILLUSION OF BUKELISMO

This paper examines the rise of “Bukelismo” in El Salvador as a paradigmatic case of bottom-up executive aggrandizement. Exasperated by decades of violence perpetrated by organized crime and the failures of liberal democracy to curb its territorial control, the Salvadoran electorate consciously sacrificed constitutional checks and balances in favor of an “efficient” autocracy. This resounding security success catalyzed immense regional admiration across Latin America, stimulating emulation attempts that remain constrained by the preservation of democratic institutions. Highlighting the factors driving the failure of such partial measures throughout the rest of the continent, the study advocates for the pragmatic adoption of a Mano Suave approach to contain, as far as possible, the violence perpetrated by criminal networks.