SAN SALVADOR: El Salvador amended rules on Wednesday for appointing its electoral authority, less than a year before a presidential race in which President Nayib Bukele is set to run for an unprecedented third term.
The amendment was backed by 57 out of 60 lawmakers in Congress, which is controlled by Bukele’s ruling party.
Bukele, who has been president since 2019 and was re-elected in 2024 with 85 percent of the vote, holds near-total control over the country’s institutions in what the opposition calls a “dictatorship.”
El Salvador has amended its Constitution multiple times since Bukele came to power, including abolishing presidential term limits last year — paving the way for the 44-year-old to run again in polls scheduled for February 2027.
The new rules mean that the five magistrates making up the Supreme Electoral Court will be chosen by the Legislative Assembly.
Until now, three of the top officials were nominated by parties with the most votes in the previous elections, and the remaining two by the Supreme Court of Justice.
“No more party quotas. No more personal agendas or interests in the highest electoral authority,” Legislative Assembly President Ernesto Castro said on X.
But the non-governmental organization Accion Ciudadana said in a statement that the rule changes were “designed so that the ruling party can fully control the electoral body.”
The five current magistrates were chosen in 2024 for a five-year term and will preside over next year’s general elections.
El Salvador changes rules for picking top electoral officials
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El Salvador changes rules for picking top electoral officials
- The new rules mean that the five magistrates making up the Supreme Electoral Court will be chosen by the Legislative Assembly
