El Salvador’s National Assembly, dominated by President Nayib Bukele’s party, has approved sweeping constitutional reforms allowing indefinite re-election and extending presidential terms to six years
San Salvador, El Salvador – El Salvador’s National Assembly, controlled by President Nayib Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas party, passed a landmark constitutional reform on Thursday allowing indefinite presidential re-election and extending presidential terms from five to six years.
The overhaul, approved by the ruling party’s supermajority, also abolishes run-off elections and adjusts Bukele’s current term—initially set to end in 2029—to conclude in 2027, effectively shortening it to align with the new system.
Bukele, who once jokingly referred to himself as “the world’s coolest dictator,” remains highly popular in El Salvador due to his administration’s intense crackdown on powerful street gangs. His “iron fist” security policies, which have included a prolonged state of emergency suspending certain constitutional rights, have been widely supported by the public but have also drawn condemnation from human rights organizations.