EL SALVADOR’S Congress approved a constitutional amendment proposed by the country’s far-right president on Tuesday, permitting life sentences in a country that has imprisoned more than 1 per cent of its population.

The reform, presented by President Nayib Bukele’s, security cabinet was approved earlier in the day by El Salvador’s legislature. It is set to be ratified next week.

A series of constitutional reforms pushed forward by the president have been blasted for removing checks and balances as well as undermining the country’s democracy as part of his so-called “war against gangs.”

“We will see who supports this reform and who dares to defend the idea that the Constitution should continue prohibiting murderers and rapists from remaining in prison,” President Bukele wrote in a social media post on Tuesday.

The government pushed through another reform doing away with presidential term limits last August, paving the way for President Bukele to stay in power indefinitely.

Many experts consider his second term, which began in 2024, to itself violate the constitution, which prohibits consecutive re-election.

President Bukele also introduced a “temporary” state of emergency in March 2022 which has been extended for nearly four years. It suspends key constitutional rights and has led to around 91,300 people being detained.