El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele has appointed a temporary replacement for finance minister Alejandro Zelaya who has taken up a post at a regional lender, the Central American country's government said on Tuesday.

It said Zelaya, who was sworn in as director of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, will be replaced on an interim basis by Jerson Posada. It offered no further detail, but according to the finance ministry's website Posada has served as deputy minister there since October 2020.

Zelaya assumed the post of finance minister in July 2020 and during his tenure helped El Salvador with talks with the International Monetary Fund to negotiate $1.3 billion in financing, participated in the adoption of Bitcoin as legal tender and in the repurchase of bonds due in 2023 and 2025.

"President Bukele has expressed his appreciation to those who have served in their functions in total service to the Salvadoran people," the government said in a statement.

Bukele also appointed Evelin Gracias as the country's new financial regulator.

(This story has been refiled to add a dropped word in paragraph 1)

(Reporting by Nelson Renteria, Writing by Natalia Siniawski; Editing by Tomasz Janowski)