Bukele Seeks Third Consecutive Term After Party Confirms Candidacy

Overview

• Xavi Zablah Bukele, president of Nuevas Ideas, announced on Sunday that the party has formalized President Nayib Bukele’s bid for a third consecutive term.
• Vice-president Félix Ulloa has registered as Bukele’s running mate and both are expected to win the party’s largely uncontested primary set for July 12.
• Allies in the Asamblea Legislativa approved constitutional reforms last year that remove limits on re-election and altered term timing, including shortening the current term to allow this new run.
• Bukele’s high approval ratings rest on a hardline security strategy and a state-of-exception that officials say cut homicides while human rights groups cite mass detentions and restrictions on civil liberties.
• The party renomination positions Bukele for the February 2027 general election and raises questions about further concentration of power, international criticism, and the impact on Salvadorans’ civic freedoms.