El Salvador approves indefinite presidential re-election

A bill to change the way elections are conducted in El Salvador’s ruling party has been passed, giving President Nayib Bukele the opportunity to run for office for a second term.

A constitutional amendment that would eliminate election run-offs, extend the term from five to six, and allow indefinite presidential re-election was supported by 57 Congress members on Thursday.

Despite a clear prohibition in the country’s constitution, Bukele won a second term last year. The leader’s human right to run again was confirmed by El Salvador’s top court, which was made up of judges who supported Bukele.

Bukele re-elected last year, but he avoided being asked if he would attempt to run for a third term. He said he “didn’t think a constitutional reform would be necessary.”

With the constitutional changes on Thursday, Bukele will be able to run again and enjoy strong home support from his violent campaign against organized crime.

Additionally, the overhaul will shorten the president’s current term to synchronize 2027 elections, which are currently held by a balancing committee of presidential, legislative, and municipal elections.

After counting the votes on Thursday, Ernesto Castro, the leader of the ruling New Ideas party, thanked the deputies for making history.

Democracy has “died,” according to the statement.

As El Salvador enters its final week of summer holidays, opposition lawmaker Marcela Villatoro from the Republican National Alliance (ARENA) criticized the proposal being introduced to parliament.

The reform was criticized by Vamos party member Claudia Ortiz as “an abuse of power and a caricature of democracy.”

International human rights organizations have also been harsh critics of the constitutional reform.

According to Miguel Montenegro, director of the El Salvadoran NGO Human Rights Commission, “the reforms result in a total imbalance in the democracy that no longer exists.”

According to Noah Bullock, executive director of rights organization Cristosal, “they changed the political system the day before vacation, without debate, without informing the public, and we continue to follow the well-travelled path of autocrats,” according to Noah Bullock, executive director of Cristosal, without going into detail.