Elections in El Salvador

The Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) is El Salvador’s highest electoral authority and handles both administrative and judicial electoral responsibilities. The Registro Electoral (REL) is the public, continuously updated electoral roll. The Registro Nacional de las Personas Naturales (RNPN) provides the identity and residence data linked to the DUI. The REL becomes final for the 2027 election on 29 December 2026. A national address change had to be registered by 27 August 2026. The 2027 ballot includes the President and Vice President, the Legislative Assembly and 44 municipal councils. The presidential candidate formula with the highest number of valid votes wins; the 2025 constitutional reform removed the second round and set a six-year presidential term. Immediate re-election is permitted without a limit. The current 2024–2029 presidential term ends under a transitional rule on 1 June 2027. The Legislative Assembly has 60 seats. Fourteen departmental constituencies and a special exterior constituency distribute the seats. The exterior constituency provides six seats for the Salvadoran diaspora, redistributed from San Salvador and La Libertad. Legislative elections use proportional representation with the D’Hondt method. Voters may use preferential or cross-voting options, but the number of marked candidates cannot exceed the number of seats assigned to the constituency. Invalid combinations or too many selections can make the ballot null. Municipal elections cover 44 municipalities and 262 districts. Each municipality elects a council consisting of an alcalde, a síndico and regidores. El Salvador no longer elects representatives to PARLACEN from 2027; the 2024 election was the last one for that body. Voting is both a constitutional political right and a civic duty, but the reviewed rules do not provide a general penalty for not voting. A voter must be a Salvadoran citizen, at least 18 years old, retain active civic rights and appear in the REL. National voters normally vote with a DUI at the assigned Junta Receptora de Votos (JRV), the polling board responsible for checking identity, matching the electoral roll and receiving ballots. Polling typically runs from 07:00 to 17:00. Voters mark paper ballots in a private booth, using the party symbol or an authorized candidate or photograph option. The diaspora can use the Registro Electoral para Voto Electrónico (REVEL). A DUI showing a foreign address places the voter in the exterior constituency. Voting with a passport also automatically assigns the voter to that constituency, while a DUI showing a national address assigns the voter according to that DUI. Remote internet voting opens 30 days before election day. In-person electronic voting follows the relevant time zone. The TSE tests both systems and conducts data, system and counting audits. The Junta Electoral de Voto en el Exterior (JELVEX) supervises the exterior process, while the Junta Receptora de Votos en el Exterior (JRVEX) conducts in-person exterior voting. Political parties hold internal elections using free, direct, equal and secret voting. Coalitions are permitted. Non-party candidacies require TSE recognition and supporting signatures, followed by TSE review and registration. Since 2025, party financing is private; the former public campaign subsidy known as deuda política has been abolished. Presidential campaigns may begin four months before election day, Legislative Assembly campaigns two months before it and municipal campaigns one month before it. Surveys and projections are prohibited from 13 February 2027 until after the election. The sale and consumption of alcoholic drinks are prohibited from 27 February through 1 March 2027. JRV members are proposed by political parties and verified by the TSE; remaining positions are filled by lot. Members must be at least 18, Salvadoran, able to read and write, of recognized integrity and free from constitutional exclusion grounds and party membership. Unjustified refusal to serve or abandonment can lead to sanction proceedings. JRV members have a right to paid leave from work. Polling centers must provide accessibility measures such as ramps, Braille materials or other assistance under TSE and disability standards. Voting remains personal and secret, and assistance is available only within the legal framework. After polling closes, each JRV counts the ballots manually and prepares an acta. Members sign the record and provide copies. Preliminary results are transmitted through the TSE kit and the CNPRE system. The TSE conducts the final count within 48 hours after polling closes. Parties, the Junta de Vigilancia Electoral (JVE), the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR), the Procuraduría para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (PDDH) and national or international observers can monitor the process. Ballots and results may be classified as valid, null, challenged or abstention-related. The TSE handles revocation, review and appeal procedures, complaints against electoral bodies, and challenges concerning candidacies, elections and the final count. It declares final results firm. Electoral credentials follow within eight days. The Legislative Assembly and municipal councils take office on 1 May 2027, while the President takes office on 1 June 2027. Voting itself carries no fee. The approved 2027 election budget is approximately $125.4 million for the national process and $46.7 million for voting abroad. Details such as final ballot design and seat allocation should be checked after candidate registration is complete.