Despite constitutional ban, Salvadoran leader heavily favored for reelection, poll shows

FILE PHOTO: El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele participates in the inauguration ceremony of a youth community center, in Mejicanos, El Salvador January 17, 2023. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas/File Photo

SAN SALVADOR (Reuters) - Nearly 70% of Salvadorans favor popular President Nayib Bukele's bid for a second term, a local newspaper poll showed on Tuesday, despite an explicit constitutional prohibition against serving consecutive terms.

In September, Bukele announced he would run for reelection, defying the Central American country's constitution's longstanding ban. The Supreme Court, filled with recently-installed Bukele-backed judges, ruled in 2021 that a consecutive term was allowed, citing Bukele's human right to run.