The ruling party of El Salvador held this Sunday internal elections in which there is only the pre-candidacy of the country’s president, Nayib Bukele, a legal process to seek his re-election in 2024, in the midst of a debate on whether or not the Constitution prohibits a second consecutive term.
The conservative force Nuevas Ideas (NI) opened at 07:00 local (13:00 GMT) its voting process that will be carried out completely virtually until 17:00 local (23:00 GMT).
“It’s time to vote,” the party wrote on its Twitter account. “We are going to carry out the most democratic and transparent process,” he said on his Facebook page.
The law obliges the parties that intend to participate in the 2024 elections must hold internal elections to define their candidates.
In the absence of opponents, Bukele will be the NI candidate, and the current Vice President of the Republic, Felix Ulloa, will accompany him in his presidential formula.
Bukele, 41, announced in September 2022 his decision to seek re-election after the Supreme Court of Justice issued a resolution enabling presidential re-election, a ruling that sparked controversy over whether the measure is legal.
The Salvadoran Constitution establishes that “anyone who has held the Presidency of the Republic for more than six months, consecutive or not, during the immediately preceding period, or within the last six months prior to the start of the presidential term, cannot run for president.” “.
The polls show Bukele as the winner, whose war against the gangs has earned him an approval rating of more than 90% of the population despite the fact that this measure has been criticized by human rights organizations.
The NI will also elect this Sunday the candidates who will compete in the legislative and municipal elections, in addition to the candidates for deputies for the Central American Parliament (Parlacen).
And the competition?
Other minority political parties that plan to run in next year’s general elections have announced that they will hold their internal elections next week.
About the oppositionOn July 7, lawyer Luis Parada and human rights defender Celia Medrano registered their candidacy with the Salvadoran Nuestro Tiempo party for the 2024 presidential elections, in which they would seek the Presidency and Vice Presidency, respectively.
The elections of the president and the deputies of Congress will be held on February 4, while those of municipal councils and Parlacen will be held on March 3, 2024.
Recently, at the impulse of the Bukele government, Congress made reforms to laws to reduce the seats in Congress from 84 to 60 and reduced the municipalities in the 14 departments of the country from 262 to 44. Both measures will enter into force in May next year.
With AFP
Source: France 24
