In a ceremony held at the Teatro Nacional in San Salvador, El Salvador’s Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) handed over the official winner’s credential to President Nayib Bukele for the presidential elections held on February 4. The TSE asserted that Bukele secured his re-election with the “spontaneous” and “massive” votes of his fellow citizens.
Dora Martínez, the president of the TSE, stated that Bukele was re-elected for a second term “with the free, sovereign, and spontaneous vote of the noble Salvadoran people, in complete adherence to the popular will, massively and democratically expressed at the polls.” The ceremony was attended by Bukele, re-elected Vice President Félix Ulloa, as well as various authorities, politicians, diplomats, and lawmakers.
Bukele’s new five-year term is set to commence on June 1. Martínez emphasized that the re-elections of Bukele and Ulloa are “cloaked” in “all political legitimacy.”
While Martínez delivered her speech on stage, Bukele and his wife, Gabriela Rodríguez, listened attentively from a box. Following Martínez’s address, the president descended to the stage amid applause, receiving his credential alongside Ulloa. Both departed without delivering speeches.
Ulloa, upon leaving the theater, expressed to reporters that the credential handover marked the “coronation of a wholly democratic, participatory process.”
Bukele, known for his tough stance against gangs, secured an overwhelming 84.65% of the votes, according to the official TSE tally. His political party, Nuevas Ideas (NI), is set to maintain dominance in Congress with 54 out of 60 seats, as per the results of the legislative elections held on the same day.
This Sunday, Salvadorans will return to the polls to elect mayors for 44 municipalities and 20 deputies to the Central American Parliament, with Bukele’s party expected to be a favorite.