San Salvador [El Salvador], August 1 (ANI): The ruling party of El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has passed sweeping constitutional reforms that allow indefinite presidential reelection and extend presidential terms from five to six years, France 24 reported.

The constitutional amendments, proposed by Ana Figueroa of the ruling New Ideas party, were swiftly approved in the National Assembly on Thrusday (local time) where Bukele's party holds a supermajority. The vote passed with 57 lawmakers in favor and only three opposed.

According to France 24, the changes affect five articles of the constitution and also eliminate the need for a second-round runoff in presidential elections. 'All of them have had the possibility of reelection through popular vote, the only exception until now has been the presidency,' Figueroa told lawmakers while justifying the reforms, referring to legislators and mayors who already have the right to unlimited reelection.

In a key move that could accelerate Bukele's political future, Figueroa also proposed cutting short the president's current term--originally ending June 1, 2029--to June 1, 2027. The shift would align presidential and congressional elections and allow Bukele to run for a longer six-year term two years earlier.

The opposition criticized the move as a blow to El Salvador's democratic institutions. Marcela Villatoro of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (Arena), one of the three lawmakers who voted against the proposal, declared, 'Democracy in El Salvador has died!' She warned, 'You don't realize what indefinite reelection brings: It brings an accumulation of power and weakens democracy ... there's corruption and clientelism because nepotism grows and halts democracy and political participation.'

Bukele, who won reelection last year despite a previous constitutional ban, was able to run again after a 2021 ruling by Supreme Court justices handpicked by his party. The decision interpreted the law as permitting a second consecutive term, according to France 24.

The constitutional reforms further cement the control of Bukele, a leader who once described himself as 'the world's coolest dictator.' Though he has faced criticism over alleged negotiations with gangs and the erosion of civil liberties during a state of emergency, his popularity remains high due to his aggressive crackdown on violent street gangs.

'Power has returned to the only place that it truly belongs ... to the Salvadoran people,' said Suecy Callejas, the assembly's vice president, defending the changes.

France 24 noted that Bukele did not issue an immediate comment on the passage of the reforms. His leadership style has attracted interest in the region, with several politicians seeking to emulate his strongman image and law-and-order governance. (ANI)