Salvadoran president favored for reelection despite term limits, new poll shows 

A new poll published on Tuesday found that almost 70% of Salvadorans would like to see President Nayib Bukele reelected for a second term, despite the country’s constitutional ban on consecutive terms. 

The poll, conducted by the local newspaper La Prensa Grafica, showed that 68% of the respondents supported Bukele’s reelection, while 13% were explicitly against it.

The remaining 19% were indifferent. 

Last September, Bukele announced that he would seek to get reelected after his term ends in 2024, despite the constitutional term limits. 

"I'm announcing to the Salvadoran people that I've decided to run as a candidate for president of the republic," Bukele said in an Independence Day speech live-streamed on public television and social media.

"Developed countries have re-election," Bukele added. "And thanks to the new configuration of the democratic institution of our country, now El Salvador will too."

Despite being prohibited by law for a president to be re-elected immediately after serving in office, in 2021, El Salvador’s Supreme Court—made up mostly of lawmakers from Bukele’s party—ruled that a second consecutive term was permissible. 

The move was criticized by the United States and other Central American countries, which fear that El Salvador is headed towards a path of authoritarianism. 

"Salvadorans remain divided on whether the constitution allows immediate re-election," newspaper La Prensa Grafica said in the poll. "There are citizens who are convinced the constitution does not allow it, but they will still vote for Nayib Bukele."

About 34.9% of respondents think that the Constitution allows immediate reelection, 24.9% consider that it does not, while the rest are not sure or do not have an opinion on the matter, the poll’s results show. 

The poll interviewed 1,500 people between February 15 and 24 of this year. The margin of error is 2.6% and the confidence level is 95%.