The President of Salvador Naib Bukele took office for his second five-year term, BTA reported.
The Latin American country's head of state was sworn in last night in the capital San Salvador in a ceremony attended by Spain's King Felipe VI and Argentina's President Javier Millay.
The son of former US President Donald Trump, who bears his names, was also a guest at the ceremony. Trump Jr. arrived in El Salvador on Friday after his father became the first sitting American president to be convicted by a jury, Reuters said.
"At last we have conquered fear and are a truly free country," the 42-year-old president said in his speech from the balcony of the National Palace after taking office. He won the presidential election on February 4 this year with just under 83 percent of the popular vote.
In the parallel parliamentary elections, his party "New Ideas" secured 54 of the 60 parliamentary mandates in the national parliament.
His successful but contested regime of repression against gangster gangs, which terrorized the population for decades, was rated as a key factor in his election victory, DPA notes. On the other hand, his opponents warn that under his rule, El Salvador is turning into an authoritarian state.
The former capital mayor identified himself with a post on the social platform "X". as "the coolest dictator in the world" in response to criticism that it limits civil rights and undermines the separation of powers, DPA recalls.
"Now that we have dealt with the most pressing problem - the security of the country, we proceed to important issues such as the economy," Bukele also said, quoted by Reuters.