Overview

• Lawmakers from Bukele’s New Ideas party submitted amendments on August 1 to allow indefinite presidential reelection, extend terms to six years and eliminate the second-round vote.
• The proposals would reset Bukele’s current mandate to end on June 1, 2027, bringing presidential and legislative contests onto the same schedule.
• New Ideas holds a supermajority in the National Assembly and benefits from a Supreme Court packed with Bukele allies, ensuring swift approval of the package.
• Bukele’s soaring approval ratings rest on a hard-line anti-gang crackdown and a state of emergency that led to mass arrests, fueling public backing for stronger executive authority.
• Opposition figures and rights groups warn the overhaul risks undermining democratic checks and balances by entrenching presidential power and narrowing electoral competition.