El Salvador’s ruling party has passed a bill to overhaul how elections are run in the Central American nation, opening the door for President Nayib Bukele to serve another term.

On Thursday, 57 Congress members voted in favour and three voted against a constitutional amendment that will allow indefinite presidential re-election, extend terms from five years to six and scrap election run-offs.

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Bukele won a second term last year despite a clear prohibition in the country’s constitution. El Salvador’s top court, filled with Bukele-backed judges, ruled in 2021 that it was the leader’s human right to run again.

After his re-election last year, Bukele told reporters he “didn’t think a constitutional reform would be necessary”, but evaded questions on whether he would try to run for a third term.

With Thursday’s constitutional reforms, Bukele, who enjoys enormous support at home for his heavy-handed campaign against criminal gangs, will be able to run again.

The overhaul will also shorten the president’s current term to synchronise elections in 2027, as presidential, legislative and municipal elections are currently staggered.

“Thank you for making history, fellow deputies,” said Ernesto Castro, the president of the Legislative Assembly from the ruling New Ideas party, after counting the votes on Thursday.

‘Democracy has died’

Speaking during the parliamentary session, opposition lawmaker Marcela Villatoro from the Republican National Alliance (ARENA) criticised the proposal being brought to parliament as the country begins a week of summer holidays and said “democracy has died in El Salvador”.

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Opposition politician Claudia Ortiz from the Vamos party slammed the reform as “an abuse of power and a caricature of democracy”.

The constitutional reform has also drawn sharp criticism from international rights groups.

“The reforms lead to a total imbalance in the democracy that no longer exists,” Miguel Montenegro, director of NGO the Human Rights Commission of El Salvador, told the AFP news agency.

“The day before vacation, without debate, without informing the public, in a single legislative vote, they changed the political system to allow the president to perpetuate himself in power indefinitely, and we continue to follow the well-travelled path of autocrats,” Noah Bullock, executive director of rights group Cristosal, told the Reuters news agency.

The group recently left El Salvador, declaring itself in exile due to Bukele’s drive to consolidate his grip on power and crack down on critics and humanitarian organisations.