El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly passed a constitutional reform overnight, removing presidential term limits, sparking concerns that the move could allow President Nayib Bukele to remain in power indefinitely.
Watchdogs and critics of the self-described "world's coolest dictator” said they've seen this coming for years, watching Bukele's administration slowly chip away at democratic institutions, attack opponents and consolidate power in the president's hands.
Bukele, who regularly posts streams of tongue-in-cheek remarks on social media, remained notably silent Friday. His government didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.
"It's not surprising. But that doesn't mean it's not severe," said Claudia Ortiz, one of the country's few remaining opposition lawmakers. "The implication of this is more concentration of power, more risk of abuse of the rights of Salvadorans ... and the complete dismantling of all democratic checks and balances.”
On Thursday night, Bukele's New Ideas party and its allies approved changes to El Salvador's constitution, which were jammed through Congress by the party’s supermajority.
