Polls opened in El Salvador Sunday with victory in the bag for incumbent President Nayib Bukele thanks to his no-holds-barred war on gangs that has slashed homicide rates in a violence-weary nation.

US President Joe Biden’s bid to reassert leadership in Americas where mistrust of the US runs deep is dealt a blow as several south and central American countries opt to stay away from a summit in Los Angeles.

Thousands of people in El Salvador take to the streets in protest against the government of President Nayib Bukele.

The United States says it is suspending former President Donald Trump’s controversial asylum deals with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.