Overview

• Bukele’s New Ideas supermajority passed amendments by a 57-3 margin to eliminate presidential term limits, extend terms from five to six years and move the next vote to 2027.
• The ruling party holds near-total control of the Legislative Assembly with only six non-party lawmakers, ensuring swift enactment of constitutional changes.
• He has purged Supreme Court justices, replaced the attorney general and doubled the military budget, tightening control over judicial and security institutions.
• Bukele’s anti-gang crackdown has driven homicides down to record lows, boosting his approval even as critics warn it has entailed mass detentions and restrictions on civil rights.
• International observers from the OAS certified his 2024 reelection as legitimate, but human rights groups warn his mass arrests and press intimidation signal democratic backsliding.