Reforms allowing Bukele to rule El Salvador indefinitely spark criticism

El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele, has been condemned by opposition politicians and human-rights groups over recent constitutional reforms which could pave the way for him to rule indefinitely.

But despite the criticism the reforms have attracted, they appear to have the backing of the Trump administration, which has rejected parallels between Bukele’s government and dictatorships in the Latin America region.

A U.S. government spokesperson has defended the decision by El Salvador’s legislative assembly to scrap presidential terms.

El Salvador’s legislative assembly, where Bukele’s New Ideas party holds a supermajority of 54 out of 60 seats, on Thursday voted to approve a series of constitutional reforms which could pave the way for Bukele to govern indefinitely.

The reforms allow indefinite presidential reelection, extend presidential terms to six years and eliminate run-off elections.

The move sparked criticism, with the Washington Office on Latin America saying that the legislative assembly “has ceased to be an autonomous body and acts fully aligned with the interests of the Executive Branch, without allowing dissent or democratic debate.”

Amnesty International has also condemned the reforms.

“This practice seeks to concentrate power in the executive branch and increases the risk of human rights violations and the imposition of future reforms without regard for the population and its rights,” said César Marín, Amnesty’s deputy regional director for the Americas.

However, a U.S. government spokesperson appeared to dismiss such concerns, telling the Spanish news agency EFE: “The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador was democratically elected to advance the interests and policies of its constituents. The decision to make constitutional changes is theirs. It is their responsibility to decide how their country should be governed.”

The spokesperson added: “We reject the comparison of El Salvador’s democratically based and constitutionally sound legislative process with illegitimate dictatorial regimes elsewhere in our region.”

The comments, which have been reposted by Bukele on X, have been criticized by human rights groups.

“[This] unqualified endorsement of constitutional reforms that allows Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele to remain in power indefinitely is an affront to anyone, anywhere, who supports democracy and civil rights,” the Latin America Working Group, an advocacy organization, told the Miami Herald.

“It is irrelevant that the legislative assembly passed the reforms—in six hours and without public debate—it doesn’t make the President any less of a dictator similar to other regimes in the region,” the group added, describing the Trump administration’s. comments as an “outrage.”

The International Federation for Human Rights also expressed concern about the comments.

“Comparing the Salvadoran process favorably to ‘dictatorial regimes’ elsewhere in the region distracts from the real danger posed by democratic backsliding in El Salvador itself,” the federation said. “The international community should not ignore signs of autocratization simply because the process is conducted by elected officials.

“FIDH urges the Salvadoran authorities to uphold the rule of law, ensure genuine separation of powers, and preserve the integrity of democratic institutions. We call on international partners to remain vigilant and consistent in defending democratic norms and human rights throughout the region,” the federation added.

Bukele won El Salvador’s election in a landslide victory last year, receiving over 80% of votes, despite a constitutional ban on immediate reelection. Bukele was allowed to run after the Supreme Court—controlled by his allies—ruled in 2021 that it was his human right to do so.

The support from Washington comes amid a notably strong relationship between Bukele and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration paid Bukele’s government $6 million to detain hundreds of Venezuelan deportees in the country’s megaprison known as CECOT, where extreme overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions, and violence have been documented.

When the two leaders met at the White House in April, Trump repeatedly praised Bukele for doing a “fantastic job” and for his “effective” crackdown on crime, while Bukele lauded Trump for his “remarkable” efforts to reduce illegal immigration.

Trump himself has hinted at running for a third term, despite its being prohibited by the U.S. Constitution. He told NBC in March that there were “methods” which would allow him to run for a third term, adding: “I am not joking.”

In an interview with CNBC’s Squawkbox on Tuesday, Trump conceded that he will “probably not” seek re-election, though he added: “I’d like to run,” claiming: “I have the best poll numbers I’ve ever had.”