Opposition leaders say 'democracy in El Salvador has died' after scrapping of presidential term limits [View all]

Source: The Guardian

Opposition leaders say ‘democracy in El Salvador has died’ after scrapping of presidential term limits

Legislation allows rightwing president Nayib Bukele to seek unlimited terms, sparking fears of dictatorship

Tom Phillips Latin America correspondent
Fri 1 Aug 2025 14.45 BST
Last modified on Fri 1 Aug 2025 14.47 BST

Activists and opposition leaders have that warned El Salvador is following Venezuela’s path towards dictatorship after the Central American country’s congress scrapped presidential term limits, paving the way for Nayib Bukele to seek indefinite re-election.

“Democracy in El Salvador has died,” opposition congresswoman Marcela Villatoro declared late on Thursday as the legislature – in which Bukele’s Nuevas Ideas party controls 90% of seats – approved the highly controversial constitutional reform, by 57 votes to three.

Villatoro accused fellow lawmakers of dealing a “death blow” to the country’s democratic system during the late-night session. “Today some people applaud this. Tomorrow they will regret it,” she said, comparing El Salvador’s slide into authoritarianism to the collapse of Venezuela’s democracy.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/aug/01/el-salvador-bukele-presidential-term-limits