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Bukele Nominated for Third Term in El Salvador After Controversial Re-election Reform
🇦🇷 Argentina /Elections & Politics

Bukele Nominated for Third Term in El Salvador After Controversial Re-election Reform

From La Nación · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has been nominated by his party for a third term in the upcoming February elections.
  • This follows a controversial reform that removed term limits, allowing for indefinite re-election.
  • Bukele, popular for his anti-gang policies, faces criticism from international organizations over alleged human rights violations and restricted freedoms under his administration.

President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador has been designated by his governing party, Nuevas Ideas, as its candidate to seek a third presidential term in the upcoming February elections. This move comes after a contentious reform that eliminated term limits, paving the way for indefinite re-election.

It has been a significant change, before we were afraid. We will support him for the five, ten, 15 years he wants to remain. He is the only one who can give us this tranquility.

— Julio FloresA Salvadoran citizen expresses strong support for President Bukele's anti-gang policies and his pursuit of re-election.

Bukele, who has been in power since 2019, enjoys significant popularity, largely attributed to his aggressive war on gangs, which has drastically reduced crime rates in a country once considered one of the most violent globally. A 40-year-old business owner, Julio Flores, expressed strong support, stating, "It has been a significant change, before we were afraid. We will support him for the five, ten, 15 years he wants to remain. He is the only one who can give us this tranquility."

However, Bukele's methods have drawn criticism from international organizations. Under a state of exception in place since 2022, his administration has dismantled powerful gangs like Mara Salvatrucha and Barrio 18, which the U.S. has designated as terrorist groups. Critics argue these actions have come at the cost of human rights violations and the curtailment of civil liberties.

death of the democracy

— opposition legislatorsThe opposition's description of the constitutional reform that removed presidential term limits.

Bukele's path to re-election was cleared in July 2025 when the Congress, controlled by Nuevas Ideas, abolished the two-term limit. Opposition legislators decried this constitutional reform as the "death of democracy." Furthermore, Bukele's 2024 re-election was already controversial, permitted by judges seen as aligned with the president despite constitutional prohibitions. The 2025 reform also extended the presidential term from five to six years and eliminated the second round of voting. His current term will conclude in 2027, aligning presidential elections with local ones.

The people have made New Ideas the largest party in the history of El Salvador.

— Ernesto CastroThe legislative leader's statement during the party's primaries.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by La Nación in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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