The way is free for Nayib Bukele. The Parliament of Salvador adopted, Thursday, July 31, a constitutional reform abolishing the limit of the number of mandates of the Head of State and therefore allowing the president in office, a close ally of Donald Trump, to represent himself indefinitely.
This reform, examined according to an accelerated procedure, was adopted by the 57 Pro-Bukele deputies, the only three elected oppositions having voted against. It also provides for the abolition of the second ballot, and the lengthening of the presidential mandate from five to six years.
According to the text, the current mandate of Mr. Bukele, extremely popular for the ruthless struggle he led against the gangs but criticized by the human rights organizations, will end two years earlier than expected, in 2027 instead of 2029. The president will then be able to represent himself “Without reservations”.
In power since 2019, Nayib Bukele had been re -elected in June 2024 with 85 % of the votes after he had been authorized to run for a second term – which was in principle prohibited by the Constitution – by the Supreme Court dominated by judges close to power.
“It’s very simple, a Salvado people. You alone can decide until when you support your president ”said the Pro-Bukele deputy, Ana Figueroa, who presented this project on Wednesday that she described as“Historical”.
Merciless war against gangs
“Today, democracy died in Salvador (…). They fell the masks “deplored for his part in plenary session the deputy of the opposition, Marcela Villatoro, who criticized the sudden deposit of this project of reform in front of the deputies while the country begins a week of summer vacation. “These are cynics”she said.
Nayib Bukele, 44, owes his immense popularity in Salvador to his merciless war against the «Spont»the gangs that terrorized the population. Its particularly muscular measures have reduced violence in the country, once one of the most dangerous in the world, to a historically low level.
Under the state of exception in force for three years and which allows arrests without mandate, around 87,000 people accused of belonging to «Spont» were detained. According to NGOs such as Cristosal and Socorro Jurídico, this figure includes thousands of innocent people, and around 430 people died in prison.
The Salvadoral President has also become a key partner of his American counterpart, Donald Trump, in his policy to combat illegal immigration. He thus welcomed for several months in his megaprison for gang members, the center of confinement of terrorism (CECOC), 252 Venezuelans expelled in an expeditious manner by the American administration and which were then able to return to their country.
“I don’t care to be taxed as a dictator”
The constitutional reform comes after a wave of repression against human rights defenders and the detractors of Mr. Bukele, who forced dozens of journalists and humanitarian activists to exile.
“Bukele’s party promotes an express constitutional reform in order to allow the indefinite presidential re -election. They follow the same path as Venezuela. It starts with a leader who uses his popularity to concentrate power, and it ends with a dictatorship ”wrote Juanita Goebertus, director of Human Rights Watch (HRW), on the social network X.
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“At no time do we offer only one president remains in office and that there is never any elections in this country again. It’s not true “defended himself for his part, the deputy of the ruling party, Suecy Callejas, during the plenary session of Parliament.
“I don’t care to be taxed as a dictator. I prefer to be treated as a dictator than to see Salvadorians being killed in the streets ”said Bukele in June on the first anniversary of his re -election.
