The Foundation Studies for the Application of Law (Fespad) pointed out on Thursday that the ruling that allows the president of El Salvador Nayib Bukele can declare his candidacy for immediate re-election “lacking constitutional legitimacy”.

According to the NGO, the September 2021 resolution lacks “constitutional legitimacy in form and content” as it was passed “despite the fact that re-election of the president is expressly prohibited by the constitution”.

Before that resolution, which according to several lawyers should not have general effect because it was not a ruling of unconstitutionality, a president who wanted to stand for re-election had to wait 10 years.

Bukele went to the headquarters of the Legislative Assembly this Thursday, with a large pro-government majority, to deliver a speech marking his fourth year as head of government of the Central American country.

The speech will be broadcast on a national radio and television network, scheduled at 8 p.m. local time (2 a.m. GMT on Friday), as reported by the president himself on his social networks.

Bukele celebrates his fourth year in office amid a so-called “war” against gangs promoted by the government that has an exceptional grassroots regime that has led to the arrest of more than 69,000 people accused of being gang members and who they represent more than 1% of the total population.

Civil society and human rights organizations have indicated that crimes against humanity are being committed under the emergency regime for the deaths of at least 160 people in prisons who were found not guilty of the crime committed. them at their arrest.

The derogation, which appears to be the Bukele government’s main security measure, has been in place for more than a year and could be extended until 2024, according to several analysts.

The Salvadoran president’s fourth year in office is also marked by his desire to be re-elected, to remain in office for another five years.