El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has been sworn in for a second five-year term of office.
Bukele took the oath of office in the capital San Salvador on Saturday, with guests such as Spain's King Felipe VI and Argentinian President Javier Milei in attendance.
"We have finally conquered fear and are a truly free country," said the 42-year-old in a speech on the balcony of the National Palace afterwards.
Bukele won the presidential election on February 4 with just under 83% of the vote. In simultaneous parliamentary elections, his Nuevas Ideas (New Ideas) party won 54 of the 60 seats.
His successful but controversial crackdown on criminal gangs that had terrorized the Central American country for decades was seen as key to his electoral success. As crime fell, Bukele's popularity soared.
But critics warn of an increasingly authoritarian turn taken by the former mayor of San Salvador, who has been president since 2019.
They point to undemocratic policies, such as the restriction of civil rights, arbitrary arrests and the erosion of the separation of powers.
Bukele often makes fun of his critics and at times has described himself as the "World's Coolest Dictator" in his profile on X.
The people of El Salvador, the smallest Central American country, have been living under a state of emergency for almost two years. A number of basic rights such as freedom of assembly are restricted.
More than 75,000 suspected gang members have since been arrested, most only on suspicion and without access to lawyers. Videos of thousands of tattooed gangsters being herded into a new high-security prison wearing only white underpants went viral.
El Salvador's constitution actually prohibits the re-election of the president for consecutive terms. However, constitutional judges loyal to the government approved Bukele's candidacy for a second five-year term.
In September 2021, El Salvador became the first country in the world to introduce the digital currency Bitcoin as legal tender.
