Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele will seek a third term in elections set for February 28, the country’s electoral court said Wednesday, September 30, after a controversial constitutional reform allowing the leader to be re-elected indefinitely.
In office since 2019, Nayib Bukele concentrates all powers and could remain at the head of state until 2033 if he wins this election.
At 45, he enjoys great popularity thanks to his “war on gangs”, which has greatly reduced the crime rate. But his policy is widely criticized by experts from the United Nations and NGOs, who point to abuses that could constitute crimes against humanity.
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An emergency regime has been in force since 2022 in the country and has led to the incarceration of around 93,000 people without an arrest warrant.
Nayib Bukele rejects accusations of human rights violations.
The court “exercises its jurisdiction with absolute independence”, assured the president of the body, Roxana Soriano. She was elected by the Congress, with a pro-Bukele majority.
Unlimited re-elections
At this stage, Nayib Bukele’s declared competitors for the presidency are former MP Mayteé Iraheta, of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (Arena, right), and trade unionist Rafael Aguirre, of the Farabundo Martí Front for National Liberation (FMLN, left). These two parties had been alternating for 30 years before Nayib Bukele came to power.
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If the outgoing president can run again, it is because Congress abolished consecutive term limits in 2025. This measure was described as “the death of democracy” by the small opposition parliamentary group.
From 2024, his re-election with 85% of the votes had been contested and seen as non-compliant with the Constitution. But Nayib Bukele’s victory was validated by judges favorable to power.
In addition to unlimited re-election, the constitutional reform of 2025, adopted under emergency procedure, extended the duration of the presidential mandate from five to six years and eliminated the second round of elections. But Nayib Bukele’s current term will end in 2027, as it was shortened by two years in order to synchronize presidential elections with local elections.
With AFP
