On April 29, Nuevas Ideas deputies were overjoyed after unexpectedly approving a reform to article 248 of the Political Constitution. This reform will allow expedited modifications to the Fundamental Charter, which has been in force since 1983. With the new legislature, beginning on May 1 and consisting of 95% members from the ruling party, they will only need to ratify the decision made by the outgoing legislature. This opens the door to indefinite re-election for President Bukele, a possibility not previously contemplated.
The reform of article 248 was not originally on the agenda of the last session of the outgoing legislature. However, parliamentarians loyal to Bukele interrupted the session to modify the agenda, presenting the motion under “proceeding dispensation” to approve the reform without consultation. This breaks a central barrier in the Salvadoran Political Constitution that previously required a more complex process for constitutional reform.
Opposition parties and critics have condemned this reform as a power grab, removing limits on power and paving the way for indefinite re-election. Despite these criticisms, Nuevas Ideas deputies have defended it as adding rigidity to
