El Salvador's Bukele seeks party nod for third term after constitutional change

El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele speaks during an inaugural ceremony of the Attorney General's Office's new building in Antiguo Cuscatlan, El Salvador, May 19, 2026.REUTERS/Jose Cabezas

SAN SALVADOR, June 29 - El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has registered to seek his party's nomination for the 2027 presidential election, pursuing a third term after allies in Congress changed the constitution to allow indefinite re-election, the head of the ruling Nuevas Ideas party said on Sunday.

• Bukele, who first took office in 2019, is serving a second term after legal changes cleared the way for his re-election. In December, he said he was open to remaining in office for another decade.

• "We are ready," Xavi Zablah, head of Nuevas Ideas and a cousin of the president, wrote on X late on Sunday. Vice President Felix Ulloa also registered to seek another term alongside Bukele.

• Both men are set to take part in the party's July 12 primary, though they are expected to face no challengers.

• El Salvador's general election is scheduled for February of next year. Last July, the ruling party's allies in Congress approved a constitutional amendment shortening Bukele's current term, which began in 2024, and allowing him to run again for a new six-year term starting next June.

• In the same vote, lawmakers approved indefinite presidential re-election, removing constitutional restrictions that had previously barred it.

• If elected, Bukele would remain in office until 2033. Bukele, who turns 45 in July, remains highly popular and continues to poll strongly, largely due to a state of emergency in place since 2022 that has driven a sharp drop in homicides. REUTERS