El Salvador's Bukele re-elected as president in landslide win

SAN SALVADOR, Feb 4 (Reuters) - President Nayib Bukele on Sunday secured a thumping victory in El Salvador's elections after voters cast aside concerns about erosion of democracy to reward him for a fierce gang crackdown that transformed security in the Central American country.

Provisional results on Monday morning show Bukele winning 83% support with just over 70% of the ballots counted. Bukele declared himself the winner before official results were announced, claiming to have attained more than 85% of the vote.

Thousands of Bukele's supporters clad in cyan blue and waving flags thronged San Salvador's central square to celebrate his re-election, which the 42-year-old leader termed a "referendum" on his government.

His New Ideas party is expected to win almost all of the 60 seats in the legislative body, tightening its grip on the country and bestowing even more sway on Bukele, the most powerful leader in El Salvador's modern history.