Cast aside from El Salvador’s ruling party, a businessman, former mayor and figure of Palestinian descent surged to a decisive victory by carving an uncustomary path to the top.
Nayib Bukele, a 37-year-old who was dubbed the “millennial mayor” of San Salvador, won around 54 per cent in the election to secure the presidency of this small Central American nation, representing the right-wing party known as Grand Alliance for National Unity. That was after being expelled from the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front party and then prevented from forming his own party.
His victory was not only notable in that he became the first ruler to end a two-party system that had presided over the country since the end of its civil war in 1992, but he became its second-ever leader of Palestinian descent after Tony Sacca, who led from 2004 to 2009.
Around 100,000 Salvadorans with Palestinian ancestry live in the country out of a population of 6.5 million, ranking it as the second highest population of Palestinian descendants in Central America behind Honduras.
The former mayor traces his Palestinians roots to the early 20th century, when many left the cities of Bethlehem and Jerusalem to find a new home in El Salvador. Some left for a better life while others were escaping from conscription under Ottoman rule at the time.
Palestinian joy at this victory has been short-lived. Because a year ago. Bukele, as mayor, visited Israel.
He was honored by Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat. (He also met with the mayor of Tel Aviv.)
And he visited the Kotel:
An analyst in El Salvador praised Bukele at the time, saying that while the government and leading parties at the time were visiting Venezuela and Cuba, Bukele wanted to visit Israel where the Jews made the desert bloom, where Israelis can teach El Salvador how to farm more efficiently and a much better partner for the future.
Palestinians were upset at Bukele's visit at the time, and they are not celebrating his election now. Al Araby is typical in saying that by this visit "denies the suffering of his ancestors." Video of his visit to Israel is being shared on social network sites.