Four Key Points To Understand El Salvador In 2025

These are the hot topics in El Salvador today

Originally published on Global Voices

In 2025, El Salvador's government is making decisions that are generating intense debates within the country. From reforming the financing of political campaigns to the reactivation of mining and reaching agreements with the United States on penitentiary matters; these decisions have led to a rumbling in society about where democracy, the economy and human rights stand in El Salvador.

Reactivating mining for metals

In 2017, El Salvador made the historic decision to ban metal mining due to its environmental impact and the country's water crisis. However, in 2023, the government reopened the debate arguing that, with new technologies, mining could generate employment and income without the same risks of the past. They identified 50 million ounces of gold in just 4 percent of the country's potential mining area, valued at more than USD 131 billion. For some, this represents an opportunity for economic growth, while for others, it threatens ecosystems and drinking water sources, which are already in crisis in El Salvador.

Luis González, of the Salvadoran Ecological Unit (Unidad Ecológica Salvadoreña), told The Guardian that metal mining could generate significant contamination of water, soil and biodiversity, especially affecting the Lempa River, the main source of drinking water for a large part of the population.

The voices of affected communities and environmental experts are echoing in the ongoing debate, raising a question: is it possible to have a responsible extraction model that does not compromise the quality of life of future generations? The decision on mining will not only impact the country's current economic situation, but will also define the type of relationship El Salvador wants to have with its environment and its most vulnerable citizens.

Eliminating public financing of political parties

Eliminating public financing for political campaigns has been one of the most important changes in Salvadoran political structure recently.

On February 13, 2025, the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador approved a constitutional reform that eliminates public financing for political campaigns. This decision, supported by 58 of the 60 deputies, was promoted by President Nayib Bukele and his party Nuevas Ideas, which holds a supermajority in congress.

For years, the state has been providing funding to political parties based on their electoral performance, which was seen as a way to increase fairness during elections. However, with this measure, the opposition parties are at a disadvantage compared to any other political party with greater resources. This has created a controversy about how this dynamic favors the continuity of the party in power and limits political plurality in the country.

A prison business model with the United States

In an unprecedented move, El Salvador has agreed to house in its mega-jail undocumented migrants detained for serious crimes in the United States as well as some prisoners of US nationality. This agreement has come about as a result of negotiations between the Salvadoran government and the US State Department, which has generated divided opinions in the Salvadoran community.

On the one hand, those who support the measure see it as a strategy to strengthen security cooperation and project the country's capacity in prison management. However, questions also arise: How will this decision affect national sovereignty and the Salvadoran penitentiary system? The debate continues to rage over the boundaries between crime control and respect for human rights.

This prison business model raises profound questions about El Salvador's role in managing foreign inmates and the implications of turning the prison system into a tool for international cooperation. While it could represent economic income and strengthen diplomatic relations, it could also compromise the country's sovereignty by subjecting its infrastructure and resources to external decisions.

Is El Salvador preparing to assume a new role in the global prison landscape, or is it ceding control over its own justice system to foreign interests?

The future of the youth in El Salvador

One of the most persistent challenges in El Salvador is the lack of job opportunities, especially for young people: in 2023, 42.5 percent of the population was either unemployed or working in precarious conditions. Despite government efforts to attract foreign investment and promote emerging sectors such as technology and tourism, the reality for thousands of young people remains uncertain. Many face obstacles such as lack of access to quality education, a shortage of well-paid jobs, and an economy that has yet to absorb the growing demand for labor. For some, the solution has been to migrate in search of better opportunities, while others, without viable options, are trapped in informal or socially vulnerable situations.

Against this backdrop, the question arises: is the country doing enough to offer a decent future to its young people? If El Salvador aspires to sustainable development, guaranteeing job opportunities and fair economic conditions will be key to avoiding brain drain and strengthening internal growth.

Current US immigration policies, especially the massive deportations of immigrants, pose an even greater challenge for El Salvador. Over the past decades, a large part of the Salvadoran population has migrated to the United States in search of better economic opportunities, security and stability. The remittances sent by these migrants have been a fundamental pillar of the country's economy (valued at USD 8 billion in 2023), contributing significantly to the livelihoods of thousands of Salvadoran families.

However, the recent deportation policies implemented by the US administration directly affect thousands of Salvadorans who have built their lives there, both economically and socially. In many cases, deportees do not have the skills, resources or support networks necessary to effectively reintegrate into a society that is often struggling for opportunities. This forced return places additional pressure on a country already facing considerable economic and social challenges.

From an international perspective, the events in El Salvador must be seen in the context of broader global trends: the weakening of democracy and the growing tension between natural resource extraction for immediate economic gain versus environmental and water conservation to address the climate crisis.

However, no economic development can be considered successful if it is done at the expense of the fundamental rights of the population. Studies have shown that growth models without inclusion and sustainability generate deep inequalities that sooner or later lead to social and economic crises. The big question is: What is the price of development and who will pay it?

Written by Valeria Cortez Translated by Melissa Vida · View original post [es]