Nayib Armando Bukele-Ortez, El Salvador's re-elected president, is visiting Costa Rica on Thursday, at the invitation of President Rodrigo Chaves-Robles.

This is the second meeting between the two presidents this year. In June, Chaves and First Lady Signe Zeikate attended the inauguration of Bukele's re-election, extending the presidency as Central American president for another five years.

According to Casa Presidencial, Bukele is in the country for nearly a week,  Nov. 9 to 12.

The Salvadoran president's agenda includes a visit to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in San José on Monday, Nov. 11, where he will receive the Juan Rafael Mora Porras Distinction in recognition of his efforts to reduce crime in his country.

According to a statement made by the Congress of El Salvador, the medal will be awarded to Bukele for his contributions to the country's public security, which helped to make "El Salvador one of the safest countries in the world," they said.

The award was established in honor of Juan Mora Fernández (1784-1854), Costa Rica's first elected president, who served from 1824-1833.

On Tuesday, Nov. 12, Bukele will attend President Chaves' work session with senior government officials at the Jorge Arturo Montero Castro correctional institution, previously known as La Reforma jail, in Alajuela Province.

His visit has caused criticism because it didn't include meetings with Congress or the Supreme Court of Justice.

Concerns were raised by lawmakers and judges about the separation of powers alleged abuses of human rights and restriction on press freedom in El Salvador.

Bukele (43) has served as El Salvador's 81st president since June 1, 2019. He raced for re-election in 2024 and won with more than 85% of the vote after the Supreme Court modified the constitution's prohibition on successive re-elections.

He implemented the Territorial Control Plan in July 2019, an anti-gang effort aimed at lowering the country's 2019 murder rate of 38 per 100,000 inhabitants.

The country's murder rate fell to 2.4 per 100,000 in 2023, making it the second-lowest in the Americas, behind Canada, according to the Ministry of Justice and Public Security of El Salvador statement.