Following the internal elections of the Nuevas Ideas party, which positioned Nayib Bukele as the presidential candidate for 2027, international organizations raised criticisms regarding El Salvador’s political future. Specifically, Carolina Jiménez Sandoval, President of WOLA, compared the country to historical dictatorships. However, Bukele firmly rejected these comparisons, turning the focus toward the true essence of democracy: the power of the citizens.
Bukele countered the criticism by noting that multiple advanced democracies—such as Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Japan—allow indefinite terms for their leaders. He argued that many of these parliamentary systems are often praised despite not allowing citizens to directly elect their head of government. In contrast, El Salvador’s model ensures that leadership is determined by the direct, unmediated will of the electorate.
The Salvadoran president also emphasized the absolute constitutional and democratic legitimacy of the country’s current path. The recent legal reforms were enacted by a legislative supermajority granted democratically by the people at the ballot box. Furthermore, the entire process has been validated by thousands of international observers who confirmed the elections were free, transparent, and completely fair.
Ultimately, Bukele championed the right to self-determination, stating that “every nation chooses its own path” through peaceful civic participation. He concluded that the ultimate validation of El Salvador’s democratic choices will not come from foreign critics, but from the positive, tangible results achieved for the Salvadoran people in the years ahead.