Leader looks to consolidate power in midterm vote

SAN SALVADOR » His name’s not on the ballot. But President Nayib Bukele is expected to emerge as the big winner Sunday in El Salvador’s legislative elections, expanding his power at a moment when critics fear the country is sliding toward authoritarian rule.

Bukele’s meteoric rise and hardening grip on many of the country’s institutions, most notably the armed forces, have worried human rights advocates at home and abroad.

His growing control could pose a challenge to President Joe Biden’s policy of strengthening democracy in Central America.

The election could be a watershed for a country with a history of military rule that’s been trying to build a democracy since the U.s.-backed war against guerrillas in the 1980s.