The party of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele approved sweeping constitutional changes on Thursday that will allow indefinite presidential re-election and extend the presidential term from five to six years, raising renewed concerns over democratic backsliding in the country.
The proposals, introduced by Ana Figueroa of the New Ideas party, amended five articles of the constitution and included the removal of the second-round runoff in presidential elections. The Legislative Assembly, dominated by Bukele’s party and its allies, passed the changes with 57 votes in favour and only three opposed.
Bukele secured re-election last year despite a constitutional ban after the Supreme Court, restructured by his party in 2021, ruled in favour of allowing a second five-year term. Those justices were appointed following the removal of magistrates seen as the last institutional check on the president.
Figueroa defended the constitutional amendments by stating that lawmakers and mayors already have the right to seek re-election without limits. “All of them have had the possibility of reelection through popular vote, the only exception until now has been the presidency,” she said.
She also proposed shortening Bukele’s current term, which is due to end on June 1, 2029, to instead finish on June 1, 2027. This change would align presidential and congressional elections and allow Bukele to seek another term two years earlier, this time for six years.
Marcela Villatoro of the Nationalist Republican Alliance, one of the few lawmakers who voted against the proposals, told the Assembly that “Democracy in El Salvador has died.” She warned that indefinite re-election promotes an accumulation of power and weakens democratic governance. “There is corruption and clientelism because nepotism grows and halts democracy and political participation,” she said.
In response, Assembly Vice President Suecy Callejas said, “Power has returned to the only place that it truly belongs … to the Salvadoran people.”
Bukele did not issue an immediate public response.
The president remains widely popular due to his aggressive anti-gang policies. Despite documented negotiations between his administration and criminal groups in the past, Bukele declared a state of emergency that suspended constitutional protections and led to the arrest of tens of thousands of people.
Bukele’s style of leadership and political dominance has inspired similar efforts across the region, with leaders seeking to replicate his approach to security and governance.
Recently, his government faced international criticism following the arrest of several prominent legal professionals who had publicly criticised his administration. In July, one of El Salvador’s leading human rights organisations announced it was relocating operations abroad for the safety of its staff, citing a “wave of repression” by the government.
Since the return of US President Donald Trump in January, Bukele has strengthened ties with Washington. He quickly moved to support Trump’s immigration stance by accepting over 200 deportees from other countries into a newly constructed prison designed for gang members.
Faridah Abdulkadiri
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