The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) of El Salvador has established February 28, 2027, as the date on which the next presidential elections will be held. In that appointment with the ballot boxes, the current president, Nayib Bukele, will seek to remain in power for a third consecutive time, after the constitutional reform approved in 2025 that eliminated the limits on presidential reelection and allowed him to run again for the position he assumed in 2019.
The president of the TSE, Roxana Soriano, has publicly announced the call for the electoral process and has confirmed that the voting will take place on Sunday. "The TSE officially calls on the citizens to the 2027 elections. The electoral day will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2027," she has pointed out, before specifying that on that day a total of 528 public positions will be elected, including the president, the vice president, deputies, mayors, and councilors.
During her speech, Soriano emphasized the decisive role of the electorate in shaping the country's institutions. "It is you, the citizens, who through your vote will decide the direction of the country and legitimize the authorities that will exercise public representation during the next period. That decision belongs exclusively to the Salvadoran people," she stressed in a statement broadcast live.
Regarding the calendar, the head of the TSE explained that those who wish to compete for the Presidency, the Vice Presidency, and the seats in the Legislative Assembly must formalize their candidacies between October 1 and November 19. For their part, candidates for the Municipal Councils will have a shorter period, from November 9 to November 19, a period set for the reception of registrations.
Soriano also indicated that, as of September 15, the electoral roll exceeds 6.5 million citizens, of which more than 982,000 reside outside the country. She also confirmed that, after the modification of the Constitution, the diaspora will have a specific constituency from which it can choose six of its own deputies.
Regarding the overseas vote, the president of the TSE has defended the technical and legal guarantees of the procedure. "Each stage of the electoral process from abroad is governed by law and by rigorous technical controls: independent audits before, during, and after the voting; security tests and drills; auditable records that do not link the voter to their vote; and receipt confirmation," she has assured.
Likewise, she has made a direct call for participation. "To every Salvadoran eligible to vote, inside and outside the national territory, I make a call: exercise your right to vote. Inform yourselves through official channels and participate freely, consciously, and responsibly," she has said, while asking the press to "consult, verify, and responsibly disseminate the information from the official channels."
In July, Bukele obtained the support of the ruling party Nuevas Ideas to run again as a candidate for the head of state after internal primaries in which the party did not disclose data on voting percentages or on the rivals he could have had. Despite that endorsement, the president still needs to formally register his candidacy with the TSE, a procedure that, according to the schedule released by the agency, he can carry out starting this Thursday.
The political context unfolds under the state of emergency in effect since March 2022. The government maintains that this measure has been key to combating gangs and reducing crime, while numerous non-governmental organizations denounce human rights violations and abuses by security forces during operations, which have resulted in the detention of thousands of people.