Bukele showcases security strategy to Chile’s new president: Video
El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele received Chilean President-elect José Antonio Kast at the presidential palace in San Salvador, where the two leaders discussed security policies and prison systems.
The meeting formed part of Kast’s international tour of Central America and the Caribbean following his recent election, with a focus on learning from El Salvador’s controversial but high-profile approach to tackling organised crime.
Speaking at a joint press conference, Bukele said El Salvador was willing to share its experience in confronting criminal gangs, allowing Chile to draw lessons suited to its own context. He framed his government’s security strategy as a practical response to escalating violence, arguing that decisive action had been central to restoring public order in his country.
Bukele also warned against what he described as the risks of inaction in the face of organised crime, questioning how human rights are interpreted in countries experiencing high levels of criminality. He suggested that allowing criminal groups to expand unchecked could have long-term consequences for state authority and public safety.
Kast, for his part, praised El Salvador’s prison system and described Bukele’s security policies as a source of inspiration, while stressing the need to adapt any measures to Chile’s legal and social framework. Earlier in the day, Kast visited the CECOT high-security prison to observe its operations, infrastructure and inmate supervision methods, reflecting security and crime control as central themes of his political agenda.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
