El Salvador’s president Bukele says he will seek re-election

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — El Salvador President Nayib Bukele has announced on the country’s Independence Day that he will seek re-election to a second five-year term. Bukele’s anticipated announcement came one year after the new justices of the Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court appointed by his legislative allies ordered the Supreme Electoral Court to allow consecutive re-election despite the country’s constitutional ban. Bukele made the announcement Thursday during a televised speech with his wife at his side. His current term ends in 2024. The president enjoys extremely high popularity, but has faced growing criticism from human rights groups and foreign governments about his concentration of power and a state of exception suspending some rights since late March.