Overview

• The Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional amendment that removes presidential term limits, extends mandates from five to six years, and abolishes runoff elections in a single expedited session.
• Revisions to the amendment process allow constitutional changes to pass in one legislature with a three-quarters vote, bypassing the previous requirement for ratification by a subsequent assembly.
• President Nayib Bukele defended indefinite reelection on social media, citing that most developed countries permit unlimited terms and accusing critics of applying a double standard to El Salvador.
• Opposition figures and organizations including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch called the overhaul a fatal blow to democratic checks and balances.
• The vote followed a series of arrests targeting human rights defenders and government critics, which has forced journalists and activists into exile even as Bukele’s security policies maintain high public approval.