El Salvador Campaign Opens for 28 Feb Vote
EL SALVADOR · POLITICS
Key Facts
- —What is happening El Salvador’s legal campaign for president opens on Tuesday, 27 October, four months before the 28 February 2027 vote, after the opposition ARENA party ratified its ticket on Sunday.
- —Why it matters President Nayib Bukele is expected to seek re-election, and Salvadorans abroad vote at 92 foreign centres, 53 of them in the US.
- —The numbers The electoral register holds about 6.5 million voters, including 972,517 abroad in July, and 582 elected posts are decided in one round on a single day.
- —Who is who Four tickets are expected: Bukele and Vice-President Félix Ulloa, ARENA’s Mayteé Iraheta, the FMLN’s Rafael Aguirre and General Alirio García Flamenco of the PCN.
- —What to watch Presidential tickets must still register in person at the electoral tribunal by Thursday, 19 November, and none had registered formally by Friday, 23 October.
- —What it means for you Salvadorans in California, Texas, New York and other US states can vote, and officials say people abroad contribute over US$8 billion a year.
El Salvador’s campaign for the 28 February 2027 presidential vote opens on Tuesday, 27 October. President Bukele is expected to seek re-election, and Salvadorans in the United States can vote.
El Salvador’s legal campaign for president opens on Tuesday, 27 October, with voting set for Sunday, 28 February 2027. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), which runs elections, has set the campaign to end on Wednesday, 24 February 2027.
The opposition ARENA party ratified its presidential ticket on Sunday, 25 October, and four tickets are expected on the ballot. President Nayib Bukele, expected to seek re-election, had not formally registered with the tribunal as of Friday, 23 October.
For US readers, the vote reaches American cities, because 53 of the 92 foreign voting centres are in the United States. The tribunal counted 972,517 registered Salvadorans abroad as of 15 July, out of about 6.5 million voters.
How the Campaign Period Works
The Constitution allows presidential campaigning only in the four months before the vote, under Article 81, Diario El Mundo noted. Diario El Salvador adds that Article 172 of the Electoral Code sets the same rule.
Propaganda must stop three days before the election and on polling day, under Article 175 of the Electoral Code. Clergy, active-duty soldiers and national police officers may not campaign.
Campaigning for parliament opens on Sunday, 27 December, and for municipal councils on Wednesday, 27 January 2027, Diario El Salvador reported. Presidential tickets register in person at the tribunal until Thursday, 19 November.
Who Is on the Ballot
Four parties chose presidential tickets, according to Diario El Mundo, but none had registered formally by Friday, 23 October. The list below explains each ticket.
- New Ideas (Nuevas Ideas): President Bukele’s party, whose expected ticket pairs him with Vice-President Félix Ulloa.
- ARENA: a conservative party with 45 years of history; its ticket is lawyer and former deputy Mayteé Iraheta with agronomist Verónica Henríquez, the party’s first all-woman pair.
- FMLN: the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, which fields Rafael Aguirre with Madaí Santos.
- PCN: the small National Concertation Party, which has chosen General Alirio García Flamenco and former mayor Mauricio Vilanova.
ARENA president Carlos Saade told the 580 delegates that the party wants to compete, not just take part. He described ARENA as the only opposition, Diario El Salvador reported.
Two smaller parties, the PDC and Gana, fielded no presidential candidate, and Diario El Mundo says they show support for Bukele’s re-election. The PDC says its voters are free to choose.
Why the Rules Changed Since 2024
On Thursday, 31 July 2025, parliament approved a constitutional reform that Nuevas Ideas says allows unlimited re-election, Diario El Mundo reported. The 57 deputies of Nuevas Ideas and allies voted twice the same night.
The reform lengthens the presidential term from five to six years and removes the runoff. It also ends the current term early, on 1 June 2027, so all three elections coincide.
The small party Vamos calls presidential re-election unconstitutional and will not contest the presidency. It will run only for parliament and municipal seats, Diario El Mundo reported.
How Salvadorans in the US Will Vote
The tribunal plans 92 voting centres in 29 countries, up 14% from 81 in 2024, including 53 in the United States. California has 10 centres, Texas six and New York four, El Diario de Hoy reported on 25 August.
In 2024, 741,094 Salvadorans abroad were registered and 329,650 voted, tribunal president Roxana Soriano told lawmakers. About 240,000 voted electronically and about 89,000 in person.
Deputy Dania González said US polling centres were overwhelmed in 2024. Soriano promised that everyone in line at 5 p.m. would be able to vote.
Salvadorans abroad have until Sunday, 29 November, to update their address for voting abroad, Diario El Salvador reported. In December 2025 the tribunal said the diaspora register had grown by about 200,000 since 2024.
What It Means for US Readers
Salvadorans living in the United States are a visible part of this election, with 53 US polling centres planned. Soriano says people abroad contribute more than US$8 billion a year to the country’s economy.
The Salvadoran sources quoted here give their amounts in US dollars, so no currency conversion applies. For US readers, the 53 polling centres show how many Salvadoran voters live in American states.
For more, see the earlier reports on the tribunal’s call to the 2027 elections and on how Bukele and his rivals register. Background is in the El Salvador explainer and the El Salvador section.
What Is Not Known
It is not known whether any ticket registered after 23 October, because the tribunal’s election pages were under maintenance when checked. The deadline of 19 November leaves room for later filings.
The likely margin is not known, because no verified poll of voting intentions is available. Turnout abroad is also unknown, after about 330,000 voters took part in 2024.
The PCN ticket is listed only as possible, so whether it registers is open. Whether the promised 5 p.m. rule will prevent the long lines seen abroad in 2024 is not yet known.
What Comes Next
- Tuesday, 27 October: the presidential campaign opens.
- Thursday, 19 November: registration of presidential, vice-presidential and deputy candidates closes.
- Sunday, 29 November: deadline to update the address for voting abroad.
- Sunday, 27 December: campaigning for parliament opens.
- Wednesday, 24 February 2027: presidential campaigning ends.
- Sunday, 28 February 2027: voting day for president, parliament and councils.
The opening of the campaign does not mean any ticket is registered. Only registration at the tribunal confirms who is on the ballot.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the El Salvador presidential campaign start?
The legal campaign period opens on Tuesday, 27 October 2026. It ends on Wednesday, 24 February 2027, four days before the vote.
When is the El Salvador election?
Voting is on Sunday, 28 February 2027. Voters choose the president, 60 deputies and municipal councils in one round.
Can Bukele run for re-election?
Nuevas Ideas says the reform approved on 31 July 2025 allows unlimited re-election. The party Vamos calls it unconstitutional and is not contesting the presidency.
Can Salvadorans in the United States vote?
Yes. The tribunal plans 53 voting centres in the United States, and registered voters abroad can also vote online, Diario El Mundo reported.
Who is running against Bukele?
ARENA’s Mayteé Iraheta and the FMLN’s Rafael Aguirre are expected, along with General Alirio García Flamenco of the PCN. None had formally registered by 23 October.
Sources: Diario El Mundo, 23 October 2026; Diario El Mundo on ARENA, 25 October 2026; Diario El Salvador on ARENA, 25 October 2026; Diario El Salvador on the TSE calendar; Diario El Mundo on the TSE call, 30 September 2026; El Diario de Hoy on foreign voting centres, 25 August 2026; Diario El Mundo on diaspora voters, 3 December 2025; Diario El Mundo on remote voting, 28 April 2026; Diario El Mundo on the 2025 reform; Diario El Mundo on the PDC; Infobae El Salvador, 24 October 2026 (all accessed 26 October 2026).
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief