El Salvador’s ruling New Ideas party passed a bill on Thursday that reforms the country’s election system, allowing President Nayib Bukele to run for unlimited terms, extending each term from five to six years, and removing the need for run-off elections.

This change comes after the Supreme Court, packed with Bukele supporters, ruled in 2021 that his re-election was a human right despite constitutional bans.

The bill, which passed 57-3 ahead of Congress’s recess, also shortens the current presidential term to align upcoming elections in 2027, synchronizing presidential, legislative, and municipal votes, a move likely to benefit Bukele’s party across the board.

Lawmaker Ana Figueroa, who proposed the bill, framed it as empowering voters to decide how long to support elected officials.

"This is quite simple, El Salvador: only you will have the power to decide how long you wish to support the work of any public official, including your president," she said. 

However, opposition lawmakers warned the changes threaten democracy by enabling one-party dominance.

"Today, democracy has died in El Salvador," said legislator Marcela Villatoro of the opposition Republican National Alliance (ARENA).

Bukele remains popular due to his tough anti-gang policies that have sharply reduced homicide rates, though human rights groups have criticized his methods for targeting innocents.

Cristosal, a human rights organization, recently left the country, condemning the reforms as a step toward authoritarianism.

Noah Bullock, Cristosal’s executive director, said, “They changed the political system to allow the president to perpetuate himself in power indefinitely and we continue to follow the well-traveled path of autocrats.”

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