El Salvador Ruling Party Ratifies Bukele Candidacy for 2027 Election

El Salvador's ruling party ratified President Nayib Bukele's candidacy for the February 2027 presidential election on Monday. The party, which holds a supermajority in the legislative assembly, held internal elections Sunday and announced the results Monday.

Vice President Félix Ulloa will again serve as Bukele's running mate. Bukele, 44, took office in June 2019. He won reelection in February 2024 with nearly 85 percent of valid votes. That vote drew criticism from constitutional scholars who said it violated a ban on consecutive reelection.

A September 2021 constitutional court ruling permitted presidential reelection for one term only. The legislative assembly approved a constitutional reform in July 2025 that removed the ban on consecutive terms and eliminated penalties for promoting reelection.

The reform also extended the presidential term from five to six years and moved the next election to 2027. Bukele stated that 90 percent of developed countries allow indefinite reelection of their head of government. He added that when a small, poor country like El Salvador attempts the same, it is portrayed as the end of democracy.

Salvadorans credit the president's security policies, including a four-year state of emergency that has imprisoned more than 90,000 people, with reducing homicide rates. In 2015 the country recorded 6,656 murders and a homicide rate of 106 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Government statistics show the country ended 2025 with 82 homicides. More than 500 people have died in prison since the state of emergency began, according to human rights organizations. The deaths were mainly attributed to health reasons, with some linked to violence.