President Nayib Bukele and Vice-President Félix Ulloa have formally registered as pre-candidates for El Salvador’s 2027 general election, the ruling Nuevas Ideas party announced late on Sunday. The move, confirmed by party president Xavi Zablah Bukele with the phrase “Estamos listos” (We are ready), sets the stage for an internal primary on 12 July in which neither is expected to face a challenger. The registration is the first procedural step towards a third consecutive term, a scenario that was legally impossible until a constitutional overhaul enacted by the Legislative Assembly in July 2025.

The reform, approved in a single legislative session without prior committee debate, amended five articles of the constitution to permit indefinite presidential re-election, shorten the current term and bring forward the next general election to February 2027. Viewed from San Salvador, the governing party and its supporters argue that the changes reflect the popular will, pointing to approval ratings that, according to the polling firm CID Gallup, reached 93 per cent in May 2026. The government’s security offensive, conducted under a repeatedly extended state of exception, has driven a more than 90 per cent reduction in homicides, a result that underpins Bukele’s sustained public support.

Salvadoran opposition figures and international human rights organisations, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, have described the constitutional changes as a consolidation of power that erodes democratic checks. They point to the simultaneous elimination of the presidential runoff, the extension of the presidential term from five to six years, and the removal of the ban on immediate re-election. If Bukele secures the nomination and wins the 2027 vote, he would remain in office until 2033, having first assumed the presidency in 2019. Analysts in Central America note that while security remains the dominant factor in his popularity, economic grievances—particularly over the cost of living and public services—are increasingly shaping public discourse.

The pre-candidacy filing follows Bukele’s own statement in a December 2025 interview that he would like to govern for “ten more years.” The Nuevas Ideas primary is scheduled for 12 July, with the general election set for 28 February 2027. The government has not commented directly on the registration beyond the party’s social media announcement, but the vice-president thanked the party for “this new opportunity to continue contributing to the marvellous project of transforming our country.” The electoral process now moves to the internal party stage, with no indication of any rival candidacy within the ruling movement.