Country name
conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador
conventional short form: El Salvador
local long form: Republica de El Salvador
local short form: El Salvador

Data code ES

Government type republic

National capital San Salvador

Administrative divisions 14 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Ahuachapan,Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan,San Miguel, San Salvador, Santa Ana, San Vicente, Sonsonate, Usulutan

Independence 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

National holiday Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Constitution 20 December 1983

Legal system based on civil and Roman law, with traces of common law; judicial reviewof legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,with reservations

Suffrage 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
chief of state : President Armando CALDERON Sol (since 1 June 1994); Vice President EnriqueBORGO Bustamante (since 1 June 1994); note - the president is both the chiefof state and head of government
head of government: President Armando CALDERON Sol (since 1 June 1994); Vice President EnriqueBORGO Bustamante (since 1 June 1994); note - the president is both the chiefof state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular votefor five-year terms; election last held 20 March 1994, with a run-off election held 24 April 1994 (next to be held NA March 1999)
election results: Armando CALDERON Sol elected president; percent of vote - Armando CALDERONSOL (ARENA) 49.03%, Ruben ZAMORA Rivas (CD/FMLN/MNR) 24.09%, Fidel CHAVEZMena (PDC) 16.39%, other 10.49%; because no candidate received a majority, a run-off election was held and the results were as follows - Armando CALDERONSOL (ARENA) 68.35%, Ruben ZAMORA Rivas (CD/FMLN/MNR) 31.65%

Legislative branch unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (84 seats; membersare elected by direct popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections : last held 16 March 1997 (next to be held NA March 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party - ARENA 35.4%, FMLN 34.3%, PCN 8.1%, PDC 7.9%,CD 3.8%, PRSC 3.4%, PLD 3.2%, MU 2.1%, PD 1.0%, other 0.8%; seats by party- ARENA 28, FMLN 27, PCN 11, PDC 9, PRSC 3, CD 2, PLD 2, MU 1, PD 1

Judicial branch Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), judges are selected by the LegislativeAssembly

Political parties and leaders National Republican Alliance or ARENA [Gloria SALGUERO Gross, president];Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN [Salvador SANCHEZ Ceren (aka Leonel GONZALEZ), general coordinator]; Christian Democratic Party orPDC [Ronal UMANA, secretary general]; National Conciliation Party or PCN [CiroCRUZ Zepeda, secretary general]; Democratic Convergence or CD [Ruben ZAMORA,secretary general]; Unity Movement Party or MU [Jorge MARTINEZ Menendez, president];Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Kirio Waldo SALGADO, founder]; DemocraticParty or PD (breakaway from FMLN) [Joaquin VILLALOBOS, founder, Ana GuadalupeMARTINEZ, leader]; Social Christian Renovation Party or PRSC (breakaway fromPDC) [Abraham RODRIGUEZ, founder]

Political pressure groups and leaders labor organizations - Salvadoran Communal Union or UCS (peasant association);General Confederation of Workers or CGT (moderate); United Workers Front orFUT; business organizations - Productive Alliance or AP (conservative); NationalFederation of Salvadoran Small Businessmen or FENAPES (conservative)

International organization participation BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Ana Cristina SOL
chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671, 9672
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York,and San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission : Ambassador Anne PATTERSON
embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena, Station Antiguo Cuscatlan, San Salvador
mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023
telephone: [503] 278-4444
FAX : [503] 278-6011

Flag description three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with thenational coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms featuresa round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICACENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which has a different coat of armscentered in the white band - it features a triangle encircled by the wordsREPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similarto the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X patterncentered in the white band

NOTE: The information regarding El Salvador on this page is re-published from the 1997 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of El Salvador Government 1997 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about El Salvador Government 1997 should be addressed to the CIA.