El Salvador Locks in 2027 Election Date, Clearing Path for Bukele’s Third Term

El Salvador’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal confirmed Wednesday that the next presidential election will take place on February 28, 2027, formally setting the stage for President Nayib Bukele to pursue a third term in office.

The move follows a 2024 constitutional reform that eliminated presidential term limits, allowing Bukele—who has governed since 2019—to seek re-election indefinitely. The amendments also extended the presidential term from five to six years, meaning a victory in 2027 would keep him in power until 2033.

Bukele, 45, retains immense popularity domestically and across Latin America for his aggressive crackdown on gang violence. Under a state of exception imposed in 2022 that remains active, authorities have detained roughly 92,000 people, predominantly young men, many without formal charges. To manage the resulting judicial backlog, courts have resorted to mass trials.

While the security offensive has driven crime rates to historic lows, human rights organizations warn of widespread abuses, including arbitrary detention and torture, which they argue may amount to crimes against humanity. Bukele dismisses the allegations and has embraced his authoritarian reputation, famously dubbing himself the “world’s coolest dictator.”

Bukele secured the nomination of his Nuevas Ideas party earlier this year. His declared challengers include former congresswoman Maytee Iraheta of the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) and union leader Rafael Aguirre of the left-wing Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN)—the two parties that dominated Salvadoran politics for three decades before Bukele’s rise.

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