El Salvador's legislative body has approved extensive constitutional changes, including allowing the president to serve unlimited terms, effectively enabling President Nayib Bukele to continue in power after his current term ends.
According to the El Salvador Legislative Assembly, five reform proposals passed with a vote of 57 to 3 by Bukele's New Ideas party and its allies, extending the presidential term from five years to six years and eliminating runoff voting.
Opponents warn that this move centralizes power and threatens democratic institutions, as these changes remove term limits that have long served as a check on executive power.
New Ideas party lawmaker Ana Figueroa proposed that Bukele's current term should end two years early to synchronize presidential elections with parliamentary elections. If passed, Bukele's current term would end on June 1, 2027, instead of June 1, 2029.
Figueroa continued to state that these changes would save taxpayers money. "Each runoff election costs the country about $50 million. With these resources, we could build a new hospital and more schools," she said.
Marcela Villatoro, an opposition lawmaker from the Nationalist Republican Alliance party, was one of the three lawmakers who voted against the proposal. She stated that this vote marks the end of democracy in El Salvador.
She pointed out, "You do not realize what unlimited re-election will bring: it leads to the accumulation of power and weakens democracy. This breeds corruption and nepotism, as cronyism will increase, hindering democracy and political participation."
Suecy Callejas, the first vice president of the Legislative Assembly and a lawmaker from the New Ideas party, defended the reforms, stating, "Power has returned to where it truly belongs, in the hands of Salvadorans."
Amid the constitutional changes, broader concerns about democratic backsliding are intensifying.
In June of this year, the Bukele government faced criticism for imprisoning a lawyer who criticized Bukele, drawing attention from human rights defenders, according to the Associated Press. In the same month, another lawyer from a human rights organization was sentenced to six months in prison while awaiting trial.
Despite international criticism, Bukele remains popular domestically. A recent survey by the Public Opinion Laboratory at the University of El Salvador found that over 78% of participants were satisfied with his performance in the first year of his second term. Another poll by Iudop-UCA rated him 8.15 out of 10 in the sixth year of his term.
As constitutional changes unfold, El Salvador's international image remains complex, particularly regarding its economic and Bitcoin (BTC) strategy.
Last week, a report from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated that El Salvador has not purchased any Bitcoin since signing a $1.4 billion loan agreement in December 2024, when it agreed to reduce its Bitcoin investments.
This claim contradicts a statement from El Salvador's official Bitcoin office, which stated that the country continues to purchase one Bitcoin daily.
A report from June 16 indicated that El Salvador purchased 240 Bitcoins after signing the IMF agreement.
Currently, El Salvador holds 6,255.18 BTC, with reserves increasing by 31 BTC over the past 30 days, according to data from the Bitcoin office.
El Salvador recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Bolivia's top bank to strengthen Bolivia's crypto infrastructure and improve the country's crypto policies.
Related: Report: The number of cryptocurrency class action lawsuits may double by 2025
Original: “El Salvador President Nayib Bukele Can Now Serve Unlimited Terms”
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