El Salvador’s Legislative Assembly, where President Nayib Bukele’s New Ideas party controls 57 of 60 seats, voted 57–3 late Thursday to scrap presidential term limits, extend the presidential mandate from five to six years and eliminate run-off elections. The amendments also synchronise presidential, legislative and municipal ballots, moving the next general elections forward to 2027. The overhaul removes the last constitutional barrier preventing Bukele, 44, from seeking unlimited re-election. Assembly President Ernesto Castro hailed the move as giving voters greater choice, while opposition deputy Marcela Villatoro declared that “democracy has died in El Salvador.” A reform adopted in April 2024 allows constitutional changes to take effect without approval by a subsequent legislature, meaning the new rules could be enacted once published in the official gazette. Human Rights Watch, local rights group Cristosal and other critics warned the measure entrenches one-party rule and follows a pattern seen in Venezuela, though opinion polls continue to show Bukele enjoying region-leading popularity for his aggressive anti-gang policies.