Political narratives in the public discourse of Nayib Bukele.

Abstract

Aim: to describe political narratives in the public discourse of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele from a linguopragmatic perspective based on his official speeches from February 3, 2019 to August 12, 2025. Methodology. The main research method is critical discourse-analysis (CDA), which helps to analyse the discourse of the Salvadoran president as a powerful tool for influencing the consciousness and behavior of the electorate. It is also based on general scientific and linguistic methods, such as interpretation, induction, contextual, conceptual and linguostylistic analysis. Results. The undertaken research allows us to conclude that N. Bukele’s public discourse is highly emotional and politically engaged. In his speeches, delivered to national and international audiences, we can perceive an extremely positive image of the country and its president, which is created with the help of three types of political narratives: a) El Salvador is a free and safe country; b) El Salvador is an advanced country; and c) El Salvador is a prosper country. These ideas are represented by metaphors, lexical repetitions, ideologemes, and direct and indirect appeals. Research implications. The theoretical significance of the study lies in the fact that it resulted in a deeper understanding of Latin American populism and the main ways of its linguistic representation. The results can be used in a further investigation of Latin American political discourse based on public speeches of other leaders. They can be also used in the framework of such disciplines as Linguistics, Political Sciences and Area Studies.