Spanish attorney and former Member of the Congress of Deputies, Macarena Olona, has voiced strong support for El Salvador’s recently approved constitutional reforms allowing indefinite presidential re-election. Her remarks come as the Legislative Assembly put everything in place to remove term limits and align the presidency with other elected offices that already allow continuous re-election.
“The people of El Salvador want President Nayib Bukele to be eligible for re-election. Investors want the guarantee of continuity,” Olona stated during her recent commentary on the reform.
Drawing a comparison to political systems in Europe, Olona challenged common criticisms that link indefinite re-election to authoritarianism. “In Europe, we have hereditary monarchies and no limits on presidential mandates—and that doesn’t define us as dictatorships,” she affirmed. Her statement has brouht clrity among the international perspective to the recent changes in El Salvador.
Olona emphasized that the reform respects both democratic principles and the will of the electorate, while also providing the political stability that investors often seek. Her comments add weight to the argument that allowing re-election is not inherently anti-democratic, but rather, a mechanism to empower voters and promote long-term governance.
As the constitutional reform gains momentum in El Salvador, Olona’s endorsement underscores a growing international recognition of the country’s right to shape its democratic institutions according to its own context—“Adelante con la reforma constitucional,” she concluded.