Central America has long been seen as simply a bridge between North and South America, meant to seemingly work as miniature versions of the world leaders that influence the world today, whether it be to mimic the governments of countries such as the United States, Russia, or China. Recent years however, have seen Central American countries attempt to better distinguish themselves and leave their mark at the international stage. El Salvador for example, decades after dealing with a violent Civil War and tumultuous aftermath and dealing with corrupt administration after corrupt administration, has pushed to find its identity under current President Nayib Bukele.

President Bukele has been able to gain an unprecedented amount of support in his first-term as President. Now however, comes a constitutional issue. El Salvador has for a long time now in its constitution, limited a presidential term to five years, with no clause allowing for there to be a potential consecutive second-term. Nevertheless, President Bukele has announced his candidacy for re-election, and has maneuvered his government, reforming it in a way in which he is able to influence congressional decisions, such as amending to allow for a second-term. Should there be more eyes on the situation? Could it be something that leads to replicating strategies being used elsewhere in the world?

Bukele’s Popularity:

            Nayib Bukele was elected as President of El Salvador in 2019, with over 50% of the popular vote. Martin Nilsson, who wrote “Nayib Bukele: Populism and Autocratization”, explained that the campaign he had run on appealed with his preaching of combating gang violence, as well as increasing economic commitments to economic and social welfare causes. Nilsson also explained that Bukele has been able to reach an approval rating of up to 90%, with his crackdown policies following through on the promises he made.

These policies include investing in their own economy through the purchase of bitcoin, as well as entering into asylum agreements with countries such as the United States in exchange for economic investment. There has also been an increase in police power to better be able to search and seize when necessary and increase arrests of potential gang members in the country. This has also led to popularity for the President, to rise to the point where he now has enough to potentially go about doing things his way, such as seeking a second term.

Salvadoran Constitution:

The Salvadoran Constitution, adopted in 1983, allows for a five-year term as President to be served before leaving office. There is no clause in the Constitution that calls for a path to re-election, but this has not deterred President Bukele from attempting to become the first to go through with the plan to amend this rule. President Bukele’s popularity in his country is unprecedented, paving the way for him to essentially be a spokesperson for his own Congress. His endorsements and Nuevo Ideas Party have enough weight that their politicians and members are loyal to Bukele and seen as an extension of the President. With this power and popularity, President Bukele has been able to endorse his way to winning a majority in the General Assembly by sweeping almost all elections, paving the way for Congress to amend the Constitution in a way that Bukele sees fit.

Even when the majority was not at the helm however, the President was already in the midst of pulling questionable maneuvers, including having heavily-armed officers present at the time voting was to take place (BBC, 2020). Once the majority is in place however, the President, through his loyal allies, has been able to sack Supreme Court Justices who did not align with his ideals through congressional action, and then replace them with close allies. It is these close allies who have in turn gone through to amend the Constitution to allow for a second presidential term. This has led to criticism such as Jose Miguel Vivanco, who serves as Executive Director of the American Division of Human Rights Watch, stating that “Democracy in El Salvador is on the edge of the abyss.” (From BBC, 2020)

Future Impact:

While it seems that El Salvador has made their choice as a populist society to support President Bukele in his run for President, there are reasons why organizations such as Human Rights Watch and NGOs are important to society in maintaining order and a watchdog presence when possible. Although in the short-term the Salvadoran people may be happy to support this new way of rule, it could pave the way for consequences in the country’s future, as well as influence the way world leaders attempt to remain in power. There are already examples of countries attempting to circumvent term-limits in their own countries.

Jon Temin of Lawfare Media writes for example, that the victories of incumbents Alpha Conde in Guinea and Alassane Outtara in Cote d’Ivoire, were met with violence and uproar from a minority that unnecessarily led to deaths. Although the idea of re-election may be appealing to the public at first when it comes to a populist leader, over time the leader is more likely to be criticized for small decisions, leading to harsher responses when re-election continues to be a topic of discussion. While the Salvadoran people may be open to the idea of a second Bukele term in the short-term, it can lead to consequences for Salvadoran society in the long-run.

Elie Ramos is a senior at George Mason University in the midst of studying Government and International Politics. Elie has been an intern for United States Senator Tim Kaine and worked as an Undergraduate Research Assistant at George Mason University.

Works Cited

Heavily-Armed Police and Soldiers Enter El Salvador Parliament. Feb. 10, 2020. https://www.bbc.com/

news/world-latin-america-51439020.

Nilsson, Martin. “Nayib Bukele: Populism and Autocratization, or a Very Popular Democratically Elected President?” Journal of Geography, Politics and Society, vol. 12, No. 2, 2022, pp. 16-26, https://doi.org/10.26881/jpgs.2022.2.03. 

Temlin, Jon. “When Leaders Override Term Limits, Democracy Grinds to a Halt.” Lawfare Media, Oct. 29, 2020. https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/when-leaders-override-term-limits-democracy-

grinds-halt.