28/08 • EL SALVADOR

In July 2025, President Nayib Bukele and his New Ideas party passed sweeping constitutional reforms allowing indefinite presidential re-election, extending presidential terms to six years, and removing runoff elections. The changes were passed rapidly and with minimal debate, raising concerns about democratic backsliding.

At the heart of this shift is Bukele’s highly popular  anti-gang crackdown, launched in 2022 under a “state of exception” that suspended key civil liberties. Over 85,000 people have since been detained; many without warrants or trial. A massive new prison was also constructed to hold up to 15,000 inmates.

While violence has fallen dramatically, there is significant potential for systemic abuses including arbitrary arrests, prison deaths, overcrowding, and the detention of minors and vulnerable individuals. Families report missing loved ones. Civil society organisations like Cristosal have been forced to suspend work or flee the country amid threats.

Bukele’s popularity, bolstered by these security based successes, have given his government the political capital to consolidate power. However, it has also created the opportunity to sideline dissent. Critics fear that institutions built to check executive authority, including the judiciary, press, civil organisations, are being systematically eroded.

Meanwhile, poverty, food insecurity, and climate vulnerability persist, especially in rural areas. An over-focus on security could crowd out critical resources needed to address these root challenges to El Salvador's most vulnerable.

The country is at a tense crossroads: many Salvadorans feel safer, but many others feel silenced, displaced, or at risk.