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President Nayib Bukele participates as an honored guest at the National Prayer Breakfast in the United States, alongside President Donald Trump.
A new public opinion poll reconfirms the overwhelming support of Salvadorans for President Nayib Bukele after 6 years in government.
Deputies of the Legislative Assembly approve financing for road infrastructure and urban mobility projects.
And thanks to citizen reports, authorities captured a gang member who was hiding in compartments inside his house.
How are you? Welcome to the Legislative News broadcast on this Thursday, February 5th. As always, we have information on what has happened in the last few hours.
We begin by telling you that the President of the Republic, Nayib Bukele, participated as an honored guest at the National Prayer Breakfast in the United States, led by President Donald Trump. During his speech, the Salvadoran leader highlighted the transformation of El Salvador in terms of security, noting that the country went from being one of the most violent in the world to becoming one of the safest on the continent.
The President of the Republic, Nayib Bukele, was the honored guest at the National Prayer Breakfast, but this time in the United States. This event has been held in the North American nation since the 1950s and aims to foster unity and spiritual ties above ideological differences. The event brings together members of Congress, the Senate, international political leaders, businesspeople, and religious leaders.
The Salvadoran president was received with applause when he gave a speech highlighting the importance of asking God for wisdom to exercise leadership.
Our experience has taught us that leadership does not force us to have all the answers at all times, but it does force us to seek God's wisdom, to seek His divine guidance before making any important decision. This forces us to prepare to always obtain the best, using the maximum of our own capabilities, and to always remember who is the one who ultimately grants us the victories.
He also highlighted the security work that has been carried out to prioritize the lives of the honest population, protecting the innocent from the plague, putting the security of our honest people first, protecting all those people who longed for peace and who were forced to face the terrible curse of gangs.
If God could achieve this for El Salvador, He can do it for nations anywhere in the world.
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, who also participated as an honored guest, praised President Bukele and his work on security.
Including one of my favorite people, President Bukele of El Salvador. He has been truly incredible, he has been such a valuable ally for this country. Thank you very much. A truly exceptional ally. So I want to thank you, Mr. President, for the great and amazing work you do with our people. He also works very well together. I appreciate it, it's not easy.
This participation confirms the excellent relations that El Salvador has with the United States and the vision they share to guarantee peace in both nations and throughout the hemisphere. Lourdes López, Legislative News.
And our country hosted this important event for the first time last Monday, January 19th, when the National Prayer Breakfast was held at the National Palace to reflect and foster unity in our country above ideological differences. The event was attended as honored guests by President Nayib Bukele and the President of the Legislative Assembly, Ernesto Castro, along with important political, religious, and business leaders, as well as US congressmen and special guests.
In this country there was a dictatorship, the dictatorship of gangs, the dictatorship of crime, and the people suffered that dictatorship which was also cruel, to the point of cutting off the hands of its citizens. Transforming that, the most dangerous country in the world into what it is today, is the clearest miracle. If God took what was already more or less well and perfected it, yes, it was a miracle. But if God took the worst and turned it into security, into the best, then it is an example of a miracle. Today our country is being reborn from pain and violence. Today we can speak with pride of our nation and of how God has made it an example of restoration, of what we are living today. Only under the shelter and protection of our Lord Jesus Christ have we managed to overcome the worst calamities.
The reciprocal trade agreement between El Salvador and the United States will bring great benefits to both micro-enterprises and large Salvadoran companies, according to the Minister of Economy, María Luisa Hayem. On January 29th, the Minister of Economy, María Luisa Hayem, signed with the United States Trade Representative, Jamieson Greer, an agreement that is truly relevant for the economies of both nations. The reciprocal trade agreement eliminates the 10% tariff imposed on Salvadoran products by the United States, which translates into a positive impact on our economy.
With this, we are talking about greater job creation and with that, an improvement in the quality of life of our population. So it's a virtuous circle, it's a free trade agreement, let's say, that brings benefits in the immediate term for the shipment, right? The entry of Salvadoran products into the United States, but in the medium and long term, we are talking about great potential for more investment into El Salvador.
The main beneficiaries will be the textile sector, that is, 30% of the export basket to the North American nation. In second place, coffee, and then manufacturing. But why is this great benefit granted by the United States to El Salvador? According to Jamieson Greer, the objective is to promote economic and, of course, security interests. Regarding the latter, the changes the country has had under the direction of President Nayib Bukele have helped consolidate a close relationship with the United States.
And that is something that I think we should feel quite proud and optimistic about, in the sense that El Salvador was precisely the first country on the American continent to sign an agreement of this nature. So that demonstrates that solid relationship that President Nayib Bukele has with President Trump, and that relationship now translates into greater competitiveness.
Meanwhile, Minister Hayem highlighted the commitment to maintain or exceed the economic growth rate, which in 2025 was 5.1%. Alejandra Baraona, Legislative News.
The case of President Nayib Bukele continues to leave the world perplexed, as poll after poll reconfirms that his levels of popular approval are not only extremely high, but have even increased over time. The polls related to Nayib Bukele's approval have ceased to be a snapshot of the moment and have become a film of an entire era that has left experts in statistics impressed. The population's approval of the president's management has not only remained around an impressive 90%, but over time that support has even increased. This is an unprecedented phenomenon in the region, as what is 'normal' is for a president to start their term with high approval levels that begin to decline after a few months in power.
This time, the latest poll from an opposition outlet showed that Nayib Bukele's management is supported by 91.9% of Salvadorans after six and a half years in power. In that same poll, President Bukele registered 85.5% approval in 2021, 88.5% in 2022, 91% in 2023, 85% in 2024, and in 2025 it reached 91.9%. That is, support has grown over time. This is a constant, as in other polls, such as the one conducted by the firm SG Gallup, released in December 2025, President Bukele was rated with 90% popular approval. This overwhelming approval is mainly based on the security the country enjoys, where more than 90% of citizens recognize the fight against crime as the main achievement. Advances in education and health are also recognized. The data is similar in polls like T Research Internacional and in polls from the country's private universities. No matter which poll is reviewed, the data is clear: Nayib Bukele has more than 90% approval from the Salvadoran people, an unprecedented phenomenon in the region. Diego Cerna, Legislative News.
And regarding this recent poll that showed an impressive 91.9% approval for the president, President Nayib Bukele wrote, 'The most respected poll by the opposition in the most important newspaper of the opposition.' This in relation to the fact that even the most recalcitrant opposition sectors have no choice but to publish what the population is expressing, which is its total support for the Salvadoran president.
For his part, the President of the Legislative Assembly, Ernesto Castro, reacted to President Bukele's response about the opposition poll. The official wrote, 'On the right path, thank God,' because the approval of the Salvadoran people can only mean that they now feel the country's direction is correct.
In legislative matters, deputies approved the law creating the Salvadoran Blue Economy Authority, which will establish a new institution in charge of planning and applying policies for fishing, aquaculture, and similar activities, promoting the economy and the responsible use of marine and freshwater resources without damaging the environment. This authority will promote the productive development of the sector through strengthening the value chain, access to different markets, innovation in technology transfer, and the improvement of fishing services.
In addition, deputies approved the subscription of financing of up to 135 million dollars from the BCIE, destined to finance phase one of the road infrastructure and urban mobility program. Traffic at the entrances and exits of the capital is recurrent. With these works, the aim is to reduce vehicular traffic and transform the streets into more modern ones.
This program will allow us an estimated 33% reduction in average travel times. It has an extremely high benefit, especially for more than 1.6 million Salvadorans who connect or transit daily through these areas.
This is possible with financing from the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, approved in the plenary by deputies, destined for phase one of the road infrastructure and urban mobility program. The works will be executed in Nuevo Cuscatlán and in different corridors of the San Salvador metropolitan area. It will also increase productivity in the commercial area, reduce delivery times for products and services, and, why not say it, also generate direct and indirect jobs with 100% Salvadoran labor. The project includes lane expansion in Nuevo Cuscatlán with bike lanes and lighting, improvements and expansions in underpasses like the one at the Tree of Peace and the 'Welcome Home Brother' underpass, drainage works on Boulevard de los Próceres and 49th Avenue South to prevent flooding, new underpasses on Calle Antigua Huisúcar, Avenida Las Amapolas, and Boulevard Constitución, as well as interventions at the Rondel Utila in Santa Tecla. Alejandra Baraona, Legislative News.
And members of the Salvadoran diaspora continue visiting the Legislative Assembly in each plenary session to learn about the work the deputies are doing and to highlight the changes they notice in their country.
Like El Salvador, now many people know it.
40 years ago, Doña Francisca emigrated to Canada fleeing the civil war. During that period, she traveled on several occasions, but she expresses that the feeling of returning now is different thanks to the security the country enjoys.
It's feeling free in a country that was so full of fear, of everything, of crime, and today it is completely different. I almost stayed silent when they asked me what country I was from.
