Nayib Bukele, president of El Salvador. Photo: EFE.
El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly, dominated by President Nayib Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas (NI) political party, ratified on Thursday a fast-track constitutional reform allowing indefinite presidential reelection. The ratification received three votes against—the only votes held by the opposition—and no deputies spoke before or after the vote.
The approval of indefinite presidential reelection by the Salvadoran Congress marks a turning point in the country’s political history. The process, carried out without a popular vote and with unusual speed, has sparked a wave of criticism and called into question the solidity of democratic institutions in El Salvador.
This ratification modifies articles 75, 80, 133, 152, and 154 of the Salvadoran Constitution. It also eliminates the second round of presidential elections and extends the presidential term to six years.
The amendment had already been approved earlier that same Thursday night during the weekly legislative session and was sent to be published in the Official Gazette by the head of state. Once publication was confirmed, the ruling party presented the ratification request in a new session, which passed within minutes with 57 out of 60 deputies voting in favor.
“It is appropriate to ratify the constitutional reform agreement,” reads the approved decree, which includes a “transitory provision to enable the reforms.” This provision shortens the current presidential term to end in 2027 instead of 2029, aligning presidential, legislative, and municipal elections.
In Article 80, the new wording removes the suspension of civil rights for those who promote reelection, while Article 152 deletes the clause stating that a person cannot be a presidential candidate if they “have held the Presidency of the Republic for more than six months, whether consecutively or not, during the immediately preceding term, or within the six months prior to the beginning of the new presidential term.”
During the session in which the reform was approved, opposition deputy Marcela Villatoro of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (Arena) criticized the move, saying the legislators “have made a public confession of killing democracy under the guise of legality” and that “they have killed the Constitution.”
"Este día ha muerto la democracia en El Salvador, es una patanada. En una tarde sin consultas y de la forma más burda y cínica. Ya se quitaron las máscaras, son unos cínicos, han hecho una confesión pública de matar la democracia disfrazada de legalidad": @Villabull por reformas pic.twitter.com/CjePOfv6yT
— Eugenia Velásquez (@EugeniaVelsquez) July 31, 2025
The text reads: “Today, democracy has died in El Salvador; it is a disgrace. In an afternoon without consultations and in the most crude and cynical way. The masks have already been removed, they are cynical, they have made a public confession of killing democracy, disguised as legality.” Attributed to [@Villabull] regarding reforms.
Bukele began his second consecutive term on June 1, 2024, despite several constitutional articles prohibiting it, following a reinterpretation by the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court—whose judges were appointed in a controversial process by the first NI-dominated legislature in 2021.
On the day of the presidential elections in February of that year, Bukele was asked whether he believed a constitutional reform allowing indefinite reelection was necessary. He replied: “I don’t think a constitutional reform is necessary.”
– Marzo 2021: "No hay reelección"
– Septiembre 2022: "He decidido reelegirme" (aunque la Cn lo prohíbe)
– Julio 2025: "Reformo la Cn, porque he decidido perpetuarme en el poder"Y algunos todavía dudan del tipo de régimen que tenemos en El Salvador.
— Malcolm Cartagena (@malcolm_sv) July 31, 2025
The text reads:
- March 2021: “There is no re-election”
- September 2022: “I have decided to run for re-election” (even though the Constitution prohibits it)
- July 2025: “I reform the Constitution because I have decided to perpetuate myself in power”
And some still doubt the kind of regime we have in El Salvador.
