El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has registered his pre-candidacy for the 2027 presidential election, taking the first formal step toward seeking a third term after constitutional amendments approved by the country’s Congress removed restrictions on indefinite presidential re-election.
The announcement was confirmed by Xavi Zablah Bukele, the president’s cousin and secretary general of the ruling Nuevas Ideas party. In a public statement, Zablah Bukele said, “We are ready,” confirming that Bukele would seek the party’s nomination for the next presidential race. Vice President Félix Ulloa also registered his pre-candidacy to continue serving alongside Bukele.
Bukele’s bid for another term follows constitutional changes approved by lawmakers aligned with his political movement, which controls Congress. According to the source text, the amendments eliminated constitutional limits on indefinite presidential re-election, allowing Bukele to pursue another six-year mandate.
Bukele first assumed office in 2019 and is currently serving his second term. In December, he said he was open to remaining in office for another decade. Under the constitutional changes approved by Congress in July, his current presidential term, which began in 2024, was shortened, enabling him to seek re-election for a new six-year term beginning next June. If elected, Bukele would remain president until 2033.
The constitutional amendments also removed previous legal barriers that prohibited presidents from seeking unlimited consecutive terms. The changes were approved by members of Congress allied with the ruling party, according to the source text.
Bukele has not publicly commented on his latest pre-candidacy registration. However, Vice President Ulloa responded to Zablah Bukele’s announcement by thanking him for what he described as “this new opportunity to continue contributing to the wonderful project of transforming” El Salvador. Ulloa added that “decades and centuries of frustrated dreams are beginning to become reality” and said the country’s people support the government’s project.
The next general elections in El Salvador are scheduled for February of next year. Bukele, who will turn 45 in July, continues to maintain high levels of public support and strong polling numbers, according to the source text.
His popularity has been largely attributed to the state of emergency that has been in force since 2022. The measure has been accompanied by what the source text describes as a drastic reduction in homicides, a development that has remained a central feature of Bukele’s administration as he prepares for another presidential campaign.
