El Salvador’s ruling Nuevas Ideas party officially ratified President Nayib Bukele as its candidate for the February 2027 presidential election on Monday, paving the way for a third consecutive term that has drawn sharp criticism from legal experts and human rights advocates.
The party, which holds a supermajority in the Legislative Assembly, confirmed the nomination following internal elections held Sunday. Vice President Félix Ulloa will remain on the ticket as Bukele’s running mate. Bukele, 44, has maintained exceptionally high approval ratings since taking office in June 2019.
His 2024 reelection victory—secured with nearly 85% of the valid vote—was widely condemned by constitutional scholars for violating the ban on consecutive presidential terms. Critics accuse Bukele of illegally replacing Constitutional Court justices and the attorney general to consolidate power and enable his candidacy.
“Remaining in power is to avoid accountability for grave acts of corruption and crimes against humanity,” said Ingrid Escobar, a lawyer and director of the Salvadoran group Humanitarian Legal Aid, describing a third term as unconstitutional.
The controversy stems from a September 2021 Constitutional Court ruling that permitted presidential reelection “for one term only.” In July 2025, the ruling-party-controlled Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional reform allowing indefinite reelection. The amendment removed penalties for promoting reelection, lifted the ban on candidacy for former presidents, extended the presidential term from five to six years, and moved the next election forward to 2027.
President Bukele has defended the changes, arguing that “90% of developed countries allow the indefinite reelection of their head of government and nobody bats an eye,” while suggesting El Salvador faces a double standard.
Domestically, Bukele’s popularity is largely anchored in his security policies. A state of emergency in effect since March 2022 has led to the imprisonment of over 90,000 people and a dramatic drop in homicides. The government recorded a record low of 82 homicides in 2025, down from 6,656 murders in 2015—a rate of 106 per 100,000 inhabitants.
However, human rights organizations report that more than 500 people have died in custody during the crackdown, primarily due to health issues but also from violence.