El Salvador's Future in Question: Bukele's Move Toward Extended Presidential Power

Who Holds the Future of El Salvador? President Bukele's Quest for Extended Power On November 20, 2023, President Nayib Bukele of El Salvador attended the inauguration of a new Vijosa Laboratories facility, symbolizing his ongoing influence in the country. In a rapid and decisive move, the Salvadoran legislature, dominated by Bukele's party, approved a comprehensive constitutional reform that significantly alters the nation's democratic landscape. Within just three hours, lawmakers passed the reform with overwhelming support—57 out of 60 votes—without public debate or committee review. The changes extend presidential terms from five to six years, eliminate runoff elections, accelerate the next presidential election to 2027, and, most notably, remove existing term limits, paving the way for indefinite re-election. Assembly President Ernesto Castro described the measure as a means to empower the people to decide their leadership's duration. However, critics argue that this swift legislative action marks a shift from democratic principles toward authoritarian consolidation. El Salvador's democracy, established after a brutal civil war in 1992, appears to be undergoing a transformat...