A. M. The Legislative Assembly of El Salvador approved and ratified, with 57 votes, a series of reforms to the Constitution of the Republic. The main objective is to update the electoral system to strengthen democracy, optimize public resources, and align the rules with the popular will. The initiative was presented by Representative Ana Figueroa of Nuevas Ideas and supported by her colleagues, generating a significant change in the political landscape of the Central American country.
The approved changes will allow the indefinite reelection of the President of the Republic, also extending the presidential term from five to six years. The reform also eliminates the second round of elections. Additionally, legislators supported a temporary measure to standardize the electoral cycle, allowing for a single presidential, legislative, and municipal election, which seeks to generate significant savings for the salvadoran State.
The President of the Legislative Assembly, Ernesto Castro, affirmed that these modifications aim to strengthen democracy and give more power to the people through voting. He clarified that a new Constitution is not being created, but rather articles of the current one, which dates to 1983, are being amended. Castro asserted that the amendments arise from citizen demand at a time of democratic governance.
Representative Ana Figueroa explained that eliminating the second round of voting will generate savings for the State of approximately $50 million. According to the legislator, these funds could be used to build a new hospital or more schools. Figueroa pointed out that unifying the elections will allow for a single voting day for all democratically elected officials, making the process more efficient.
The Nuevas Ideas parliamentarians agreed that the current Constitution maintained an electoral structure that, for decades, served to perpetuate corrupt practices. They argued that political campaigns have been financed with state funds, heavily impacting the national budget and forcing the State to resort to loans to cover the costs of each election, a practice that the reforms seek to eradicate.
With the amendments to Articles 75 and 152, indefinite presidential reelection will be permitted. With this, the population will be able to decide whether a president should remain in power, based on their performance. These reforms align the conditions for presidential reelection with those for other popularly elected positions, such as representatives and mayors, guaranteeing equal conditions for all popularly elected public officials.
The transitional provision approved to standardize the elections indicates that the presidential term that began on june 1, 2024, will end on june 1, 2027. This will allow the presidential, legislative, and municipal elections to be held jointly. Legislators affirmed that the 2027 election will serve as a political benchmark to punish or reward the current government’s performance.
