El Salvador has ended term limits for presidency, "paving the way for Bukele to seek re-election"

El Salvador's Legislative Assembly has approved a set of constitutional reforms that will remove presidential term limits, allowing President Nayib Bukele to seek reelection indefinitely. The reforms, passed under an expedited legislative process, will also extend presidential terms from five to six years. Additionally, the timeline for the next general election will be adjusted to 2027 to align presidential, legislative, and municipal elections.

President Bukele, who has held office since 2019, remains a widely popular yet divisive political figure. His administration’s aggressive anti-gang measures have been credited with significantly lowering the country’s homicide rate. However, human rights organizations have raised concerns over mass detentions and due process violations, reporting that tens of thousands have been arrested under ongoing emergency provisions.

The reform package was approved with the support of 57 lawmakers from Bukele’s ruling New Ideas party. Only three opposition members voted against it. Lawmakers from the opposition expressed concern about the potential concentration of political power, with some framing the changes as a move away from democratic norms.

“Thank you for making history, fellow deputies,” said Legislative Assembly President Ernesto Castro, a member of New Ideas, following the vote.

Bukele was reelected last year despite prior constitutional language limiting presidential terms. In 2021, El Salvador’s top court—which critics note is composed largely of judges aligned with the president—ruled that presidential reelection is a right under international human rights law.

The reforms will also shorten Bukele’s current term by two years in order to unify the electoral calendar. Critics have raised questions about the speed and transparency of the legislative process. “The day before vacation, without debate, without informing the public, in a single legislative vote, they changed the political system,” said Noah Bullock, executive director of the rights organization Cristosal.

In a December report, Amnesty International expressed concern over what it described as a shift from gang-related violence to state-led abuses.