Congress changed the constitution to allow unlimited presidential re-election, extend the term, and eliminate runoffs; Bukele announces candidacy for Feb. 28, 2027 election amid high popularity and human-rights criticism.
A 2025 constitutional reform removed limits on consecutive presidential terms, extended the term to six years, and abolished the second-round runoff.
President Nayib Bukele will run in elections set for 28 February 2027 and, if re-elected, would remain in office through 2033.
Bukele’s popularity rests largely on his 2022 “war on gangs,” a state of emergency that led to roughly 93,000 arrests and a sharp decline in crime, but also prompted UN and NGO criticism over alleged legal abuses.
# What happened
# Why it matters If Bukele wins the 2027 vote he would continue as president until 2033. The constitutional changes immediately alter the country's electoral rules and the length of future presidential mandates. Those changes also reshape the competitive landscape by making it possible for an incumbent to seek multiple successive terms without the restriction that previously barred consecutive re-election.
# How Bukele remains popular Bukele, in office since 2019 and now 45 years old, retains high public approval tied to his security policies. The administration's 2022 state of emergency—part of a campaign often described as a "war on gangs"—has coincided with a dramatic reduction in crime. Authorities say the crackdown resulted in the detention of about 93,000 people suspected of gang affiliation.
# Critics and rights concerns International organizations and left-leaning civil groups have criticized Bukele's approach, citing alleged legal excesses and human-rights violations related to the state of emergency and the mass arrests. The president has dismissed and at times mocked accusations of rights abuses.
# The immediate political field The electoral court set the election date for 28 February 2027. The court's president, Roxana Soriano, said the body "carries out its duties with complete independence." Opponents expected to challenge Bukele include Maite Iraheta of ARENA and Rafael Aguirre of the FMLN—two parties that alternated in power for decades before Bukele's rise.
# Recent electoral history and timing Bukele won a large re-election victory in 2024 with about 85% of the vote. To align electoral cycles after the constitutional changes, his current second term was shortened by two years so that its end coincides with the new presidential and local election calendar.
# What to watch next
This brief summarizes the changes to El Salvador's presidential rules, Bukele's decision to run under that new framework, the domestic security record that fuels his popularity, and the principal criticisms his government faces.
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