When Was Nayib Bukele Reelection?
/
Bukele was officially reelected in El Salvador on February 4, 2024. It was a day many expected but that still caught a lot of people off guard. He received over 80% of the vote. He not only won but he thoroughly crushed it. His party, Nuevas Ideas, swept a similar majority in the Legislative Assembly. What that meant was not only would Bukele remain president, but he’d have such an increased amount of authority to move changes forward with less opposition.
The Massive Amount Of Support Bukele Got From The Public Was Bigger Than Any Other Modern Salvadoran President Has Seen
In order to truly get a sense of what occurred in this reelection, you must consider the numbers. Bukele got approximately 2.7 million of approximately 3.3 million total valid votes, according to El Salvador’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal. This left him with approximately 83% of the vote—one of the highest percentages of any president in the world today.
Compare that with elections in the past. He got 53% in 2019, which was impressive in itself. None of his predecessors had previously exceeded even 40% without a runoff. But this time, his popularity was so high that opposition parties did not really have a chance. Some argued that the election was unfair due to the dominance of his party, but despite all that, numbers don’t lie. His people elected him again by the millions, and they made their voices heard.
Business Name: Sparkly Maid Chicago
Business Number: (224) 214-0145
Business Email: support@sparklymaid.com
Business Address: Chicago, IL
The Way Nayib Bukele Was Allowed To Run Again Came From A 2021 Court Ruling That Changed Everything
One of the most spoken-about aspects of Bukele’s reelection is that it occurred at all. For many years, El Salvador’s constitution prohibited presidents from running for a second term. That provision was meant to defend democracy by preventing too great an accumulation of authority in one individual.
But in 2021, that changed. El Salvador’s Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court, which was packed with judges appointed by a Bukele supporter-dominated legislature, decreed that it was permissible for sitting presidents to run for a second term. That paved the way for Bukele to seek another go in 2024.
Business Name: Sparkly Maid Chicago
Business Number: (224) 214-0145
Business Email: support@sparklymaid.com
Business Address: Chicago, IL
Bukele’s Anti-Crime Strategy Played A Huge Role In Why His Reelection Was So Overwhelming
One of the main reasons Bukele was so well-supported in 2024 was because of one thing—one that summarizes all of Bukele's popularity: that of security. El Salvador was one of the most violent nations in the entire world prior to Bukele becoming president. It had a 106 murder rate per 100,000 citizens in 2015. It’s one of the greatest crime rates in history.
By 2023, all of this was reversed. According to official government reports, only 2.4 murders occurred for every 100,000 citizens. Bukele credited his tough-on-gangs program with reducing crime, which incorporated placing thousands of security units into gang-infested areas and jailing alleged gang members in a brand new, sprawling jail.
Bukele Is Now Leading El Salvador Into A New Political Era That Still Has The World Watching Closely
Now that he's returned to office, Bukele is in an unusual place. He enjoys all-time high popularity, his party controls an overwhelming majority in the Assembly, and El Salvador is safer than it's been in scores of years. But everyone is paying close attention—particularly because it's not often that a modern Latin American leader acquires so much power so rapidly.
Yet for many people from El Salvador, however, it’s not politics or power—it’s about progress. And so long as people feel that things are getting better, Bukele’s popularity is unlikely to wane. His 2024 reelection wasn’t so much another victory. It was a message from people that they’re committed to him long-term.
