San Salvador Liberty Plaza.
At least seven political parties have confirmed plans to participate in El Salvador’s 2027 elections, when Salvadorans will choose a president, vice president, Legislative Assembly members, and municipal governments.
The confirmed participation includes the country’s major political organizations, although not every party plans to compete in all races. Several parties will focus exclusively on legislative and municipal contests.
NI: The ruling New Ideas party will participate in the presidential, legislative, and municipal elections. The party has already selected candidates for the country’s major elected positions ahead of the vote.
New Ideas selected 60 candidates seeking seats in the Legislative Assembly and candidates for mayor in all 44 municipalities, along with their respective municipal councils throughout El Salvador.
For the presidential election, New Ideas selected incumbent President Nayib Bukele as its candidate, accompanied by Vice President Félix Ulloa, forming the ruling party’s presidential ticket for 2027.
ARENA: The Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) will also compete in all three elections. The opposition party has selected candidates for the presidency, Legislative Assembly, and municipal governments across the country.
ARENA selected Mayteé Iraheta as its presidential candidate, with Verónica Henríquez as its vice-presidential candidate. The party will seek to increase its representation nationally and within municipal governments.
FMLN: The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) has similarly confirmed participation in the presidential, legislative, and municipal elections, with the leftist party planning to compete across all districts.
The FMLN selected Dr. Rafael Aguirre as its presidential candidate and nurse Madaí Santos as its vice-presidential candidate, giving the former governing party its presidential ticket for 2027.
VAMOS: The opposition party will concentrate exclusively on legislative and municipal contests. The party plans to compete for 15 municipal councils and the 60 seats available in the Legislative Assembly.
Unlike New Ideas, ARENA, and the FMLN, VAMOS will not field candidates for president or vice president, limiting its electoral participation to congressional and local government races.
PCN: The National Coalition Party (PCN) will participate in the municipal and legislative elections and has already announced candidates seeking mayoral positions and seats in El Salvador’s 60-member Legislative Assembly.
Party sources have indicated that the PCN has also selected presidential and vice-presidential candidates. However, the party has not officially announced those candidates or formally presented its presidential ticket.
PDC: The Christian Democratic Party (PDC) has decided against participating in the presidential race. Instead, the party will field candidates for seats in the Legislative Assembly and municipal councils.
GANA: The Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA) has also decided against fielding a presidential ticket. The party will participate only in the legislative and municipal elections.
El Salvador’s 2027 Elections
The decisions leave New Ideas, ARENA, and the FMLN as three parties currently confirmed to have presidential tickets. At the same time, the PCN could become another presidential contender following an official announcement.
Meanwhile, VAMOS, the PDC, and GANA are concentrating their efforts on winning legislative representation and municipal governments rather than competing directly for control of the Salvadoran presidency.
El Salvador’s 2027 elections are scheduled for February 28, 2027, when Salvadorans will head to the polls to elect their representatives for the country’s next electoral period.
Salvadorans living in El Salvador and eligible citizens residing abroad will be able to participate, giving voters inside and outside the country an opportunity to shape the nation’s political future.
