El Salvador’s Congress Greenlights Indefinite Presidential Re-Election in Controversial Constitutional Overhaul

El Salvador’s ruling party has pushed through sweeping constitutional changes that critics say mark the end of democracy in the country, opening the door for President Nayib Bukele to remain in power indefinitely.

On Thursday, lawmakers in the Legislative Assembly — dominated by Bukele’s New Ideas party — voted 57 to 3 in favour of reforms that abolish presidential term limits, extend terms from five to six years, and scrap election run-offs entirely. The decision came just one day before the country begins its weeklong summer holiday, sparking accusations of rushed lawmaking designed to avoid public scrutiny.

Bukele, who secured a second term last year despite a clear constitutional prohibition, benefited from a 2021 ruling by El Salvador’s top court — stacked with his loyalist judges — declaring it a “human right” for him to run again.

With Thursday’s amendments, Bukele now has a legal framework to seek a third term and potentially more, aligning future presidential, legislative, and municipal elections in 2027.

“Thank you for making history, fellow deputies,” Legislative Assembly President Ernesto Castro declared as the final votes were counted, celebrating a move rights groups and opposition lawmakers are calling authoritarian overreach.

Opposition MP Marcela Villatoro of the ARENA party delivered one of the strongest rebukes during the session: “Democracy has died in El Salvador.”

Claudia Ortiz, a legislator with the Vamos party, said the reforms are “an abuse of power and a caricature of democracy,” accusing Bukele’s party of systematically dismantling checks and balances to cement his control over every branch of government.

Bukele, who has built a massive domestic following through his iron-fisted anti-gang policies and militarised policing, is now being accused of dismantling the last remaining barriers to his indefinite rule.

International observers warn that Thursday’s reforms will weaken electoral fairness, consolidate one-man power, and push El Salvador closer to authoritarianism under the guise of popular support.

With input from Al Jazeera