El Salvador’s governing party proposes indefinite presidential reelection
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El Salvador Approves Indefinite Presidential Reelection And Extends Presidential Terms To 6 Years
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El Salvador approves indefinite presidential reelection and extends presidential terms to 6 years
The vote passed with 57 in favor and three opposed. Bukele overwhelmingly won reelection last year despite a constitutional ban. The proposal also includes eliminating the second round of the election where the two top vote-getters from the first round face off. The current term, scheduled to end June 1, 2029, would instead finish June 1,. 2027, to put presidential and congressional elections on the same schedule. It would also allow BukeLE to seek reelection to a longer term two years earlier, the proposal says. The New Ideas party and its allies in the. Legislative Assembly quickly approved the proposals with the supermajority they hold, with the vote passing with 57 against and three in favor.
New Ideas and its allies in the Legislative Assembly quickly approved the proposals with the supermajority they hold. The vote passed with 57 in favor and three opposed.
Bukele overwhelmingly won reelection last year despite a constitutional ban , after Supreme Court justices selected by his party ruled in 2021 to allow reelection to a second five-year term.
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Observers have worried that Bukele had a plan to consolidate power since at least 2021, when a newly elected Congress with a strong governing party majority voted to remove the magistrates of the constitutional chamber of the Supreme Court. Those justices had been seen as the last check on the popular president.
Since then, Bukele has only grown more popular. The Biden administration’s initial expressions of concern gave way to quiet acceptance as Bukele announced his run for reelection. With the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House in January, Bukele had a new powerful ally and quickly offered Trump help by taking more than 200 deportees from other countries into a newly built prison for gang members.
Figueroa argued Thursday that federal lawmakers and mayors can already seek reelection as many times as they want.
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“All of them have had the possibility of reelection through popular vote, the only exception until now has been the presidency,” Figueroa said.
She also proposed that Bukele’s current term, scheduled to end June 1, 2029, instead finish June 1, 2027, to put presidential and congressional elections on the same schedule. It would also allow Bukele to seek reelection to a longer term two years earlier.
Marcela Villatoro of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (Arena), one of three votes against the proposals, told her fellow lawmakers that “Democracy in El Salvador has died!”
“You don’t realize what indefinite reelection brings: It brings an accumulation of power and weakens democracy … there’s corruption and clientelism because nepotism grows and halts democracy and political participation,” she said.
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Suecy Callejas, the assembly’s vice president, said that “power has returned to the only place that it truly belongs … to the Salvadoran people.”
Bukele did not immediately comment.
Bukele, who once dubbed himself “the world’s coolest dictator,” is highly popular, largely because of his heavy-handed fight against the country’s powerful street gangs.
Voters have been willing to overlook evidence that his administration like others before it had negotiated with the gangs, before seeking a state of emergency that suspended some constitutional rights and allowed authorities to arrest and jail tens of thousands of people.
His success with security and politically has inspired imitators in the region who seek to replicate his style.
El Salvador approves indefinite presidential reelection and extends presidential terms to 6 years
President Nayib Bukele overwhelmingly won reelection last year despite a constitutional ban. The vote passed with 57 in favor and three opposed. The proposal also included eliminating the second round of the election where the two top vote-getters from the first round face off. The current term is scheduled to end June 1, 2029, but it could be extended to six years if the proposal is approved by the Assembly. The president is highly popular, largely because of his heavy-handed fight against the country’s powerful street gangs.. The Biden administration’s initial expressions of concern gave way to quiet acceptance as BukeLE announced his run for reelection. With the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House in January, B Dukele had a new powerful ally.
Lawmaker Ana Figueroa from the New Ideas party had proposed the changes to five articles of the constitution. The proposal also included eliminating the second round of the election where the two top vote-getters from the first round face off.
New Ideas and its allies in the Legislative Assembly quickly approved the proposals with the supermajority they hold. The vote passed with 57 in favor and three opposed.
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Bukele overwhelmingly won reelection last year despite a constitutional ban, after Supreme Court justices selected by his party ruled in 2021 to allow reelection to a second five-year term.
Observers have worried that Bukele had a plan to consolidate power since at least 2021, when a newly elected Congress with a strong governing party majority voted to remove the magistrates of the constitutional chamber of the Supreme Court. Those justices had been seen as the last check on the popular president.
Since then, Bukele has only grown more popular. The Biden administration’s initial expressions of concern gave way to quiet acceptance as Bukele announced his run for reelection. With the return of U.S. President Donald Trump to the White House in January, Bukele had a new powerful ally and quickly offered Trump help by taking more than 200 deportees from other countries into a newly built prison for gang members.
Figueroa argued Thursday that federal lawmakers and mayors can already seek reelection as many times as they want.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
“All of them have had the possibility of reelection through popular vote, the only exception until now has been the presidency,” Figueroa said.
She also proposed that Bukele’s current term, scheduled to end June 1, 2029, instead finish June 1, 2027, to put presidential and congressional elections on the same schedule. It would also allow Bukele to seek reelection to a longer term two years earlier.
Marcela Villatoro of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (Arena), one of three votes against the proposals, told her fellow lawmakers that “Democracy in El Salvador has died!”
“You don’t realize what indefinite reelection brings: It brings an accumulation of power and weakens democracy … there’s corruption and clientelism because nepotism grows and halts democracy and political participation,” she said.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
Suecy Callejas, the assembly’s vice president, said that “power has returned to the only place that it truly belongs … to the Salvadoran people.”
Bukele did not immediately comment.
Bukele, who once dubbed himself “the world’s coolest dictator,” is highly popular, largely because of his heavy-handed fight against the country’s powerful street gangs.
Voters have been willing to overlook evidence that his administration like others before it had negotiated with the gangs, before seeking a state of emergency that suspended some constitutional rights and allowed authorities to arrest and jail tens of thousands of people.
Advertisement Advertisement
Advertisement Advertisement
His success with security and politically has inspired imitators in the region who seek to replicate his style.
Most recently, Bukele’s government has faced international criticism for the arrests of high-profile lawyers who have been outspoken critics of his administration. One of the country’s most prominent human rights group announced in July it was moving its operations out of El Salvador for the safety of its people, accusing the government of a “wave of repression.”
El Salvador Lawmaker Proposes Constitutional Reform for Indefinite Presidential Re-Election
A ruling party lawmaker in El Salvador has introduced a constitutional amendment. It would allow indefinite presidential re-election, extend presidential terms from five to six years. The reform also includes a controversial measure to shorten the current term of President Nayib Bukele. If approved, the constitutional overhaul would mark one of the most significant political shifts since El Salvador’s civil war era reforms.
The reform also includes a controversial measure to shorten the current term of President Nayib Bukele, whose recent re-election sparked widespread debate over constitutional limits. Under the proposed changes, Bukele’s term would end in 2027, triggering earlier general elections than previously scheduled.
Supporters argue the amendment aligns with public demand for political continuity and streamlined elections. Critics, however, warn it consolidates power and undermines democratic checks, particularly given Bukele’s dominance in El Salvador’s political landscape and his sweeping influence over legislative and judicial branches.
If approved, the constitutional overhaul would mark one of the most significant political shifts since El Salvador’s civil war era reforms. Analysts note that indefinite re-election could solidify Bukele’s influence well beyond his current mandate, reshaping the nation’s political trajectory and drawing scrutiny from international observers concerned about democratic backsliding in the region.
The bill will now move through legislative debate, where Bukele’s New Ideas party holds a supermajority, making passage highly likely.
El Salvador’s ruling party backs indefinite re-election in constitutional proposal
President Nayib Bukele won a second term last year despite a constitutional ban on re-election. The proposal would extend terms from five years to six and scrap run-offs. It would also shorten the president’s current term to synchronize elections in 2027, as presidential, legislative and municipal elections are currently staggered.
By Nelson Renteria
SAN SALVADOR, July 31 (Reuters) – El Salvador’s ruling party on Thursday put forward a proposal which could drastically overhaul how elections are run in the Central American nation, potentially opening the door for another term from President Nayib Bukele.
Bukele won a second term last year despite a constitutional ban on re-election. El Salvador’s top court, filled with Bukele-backed judges, had ruled that it was the leader’s human right to run again.
The constitutional amendment sent on Thursday by Bukele’s New Ideas party, which dominates Congress, would allow indefinite presidential re-election, extend terms from five years to six and scrap run-offs.
After his re-election last year, Bukele had told reporters he “didn’t think a constitutional reform would be necessary,” but evaded questions on whether he would try to run for a third term.
The proposal would also shorten the president’s current term to synchronize elections in 2027, as presidential, legislative and municipal elections are currently staggered.
Consolidating the votes would likely favor a party that performs well across the board in a single election cycle.
“This is quite simple, El Salvador: only you will have the power to decide how long you wish to support the work of any public official, including your president,” said lawmaker Ana Figueroa. “You have the power to decide how long you support your president and all elected officials.”—–Reuters