El SalvadorAfter a landslide victory, Bukele wins reelection
With 70.25% of the votes counted, President Nayib Bukele (Nuevas Ideas) comfortably won reelection in the first round of the presidential elections, obtaining 83.14%. Thus, Bukele, who is under license to compete in these elections, renewed his mandate for the period 2024-2029. He will be inaugurated on June 1.
Furthermore, the first projections of the results in the Legislative Assembly indicate that his party will obtain around 58 out of the 60 possible seats. Thus, Nuevas Ideas would retain the qualified majority it currently holds, but without the need of allies. The new Assembly will take office on May 1.
Key points of the election day
According to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE in Spanish) and international observers, the elections were carried out normally and peacefully. However, Bukele denounced that some voting centers abroad, especially in the US, did not allow many voters to cast their ballots. Meanwhile, the opposition reported some irregularities in the elections and that the counting of votes is progressing slowly, especially in the election of the Assembly.
Results
Bukele surpassed the 50% barrier of the valid votes to win his reelection in the first round. With respect to 2019, the president increased his electoral flow by about 30%. Meanwhile, the FMLN and ARENA, which dominated Salvadoran politics for 30 years, are having the worst electoral results in their history. It would be the first time that both parties fail to surpass 10%. Since the end of the civil war in 1992, it is the largest victory of a candidate over his competitors.
