1977 Salvadoran presidential election

Last updated

1977 Salvadoran presidential election
Flag of El Salvador.svg
  1972 20 February 1977 1982  
  Humberto Romero 1977.jpg 3x4.svg
Nominee Carlos Humberto Romero Ernesto Antonio Claramount Roseville
Party PCN UNO
Running mate Julio Ernesto Astacio José Antonio Morales Ehrlich
Popular vote812,281394,661
Percentage67.30%32.70%

President before election

Arturo Armando Molina
PCN

Elected President

Carlos Humberto Romero
PCN

Presidential elections were held in El Salvador on 20 February 1977. [1]

Contents

The result was a victory for Carlos Humberto Romero of the Party of National Conciliation, who received 67.3% of the vote. However, the election was characterised by massive fraud, [2] with officials of the National Opposing Union (UNO, an alliance of the Christian Democratic Party, National Revolutionary Movement and Nationalist Democratic Union) intercepting military radio transmissions ordering ballot box stuffing, whilst their election officials were assaulted and ejected from polling stations. [3] According to credible witnesses, in sixteen districts where an honest count was made, the UNO candidate, Ernesto Antonio Claramount Roseville, won around 75% of the vote. [3]

Results

CandidatePartyVotes%
Carlos Humberto Romero National Conciliation Party 812,28167.30
Ernesto Antonio Claramount Roseville National Opposing Union 394,66132.70
Total1,206,942100.00
Source: Nohlen

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carlos Humberto Romero</span> President of El Salvador (1977 to 1979)

Carlos Humberto Romero Mena was a Salvadoran military general and politician who served as president of El Salvador from 1 July 1977 until his overthrow on 15 October 1979. Romero was the final president of the country's military dictatorship which began in 1931.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christian Democratic Party (El Salvador)</span> Political party in El Salvador

The Christian Democratic Party is a Salvadoran political party. From 2011 to 2012, the party was renamed to Party of Hope before reverting to the Christian Democratic Party. The PDC has been led by Reinaldo Carballo since 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1976 Salvadoran legislative election</span>

Legislative elections were held in El Salvador on 14 March 1976. The result was a victory for the ruling National Conciliation Party, which was the only party to contest the elections due to a boycott by the opposition as a result of massive electoral fraud.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1978 Salvadoran legislative election</span>

Legislative elections were held in El Salvador on 12 March 1978. The elections were boycotted by all but one of the opposition parties, resulting in an easy victory for the ruling National Conciliation Party, which won 50 of the 54 seats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1974 Salvadoran legislative election</span>

Legislative elections were held in El Salvador on 10 March 1974. The result was a victory for the National Conciliation Party, which won 36 of the 52 seats whilst the National Opposing Union (UNO) won only 15. However, the election was marred by massive fraud and the official vote counts were not published.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 Salvadoran legislative election</span>

Legislative elections were held in El Salvador on 12 March 1972. The result was a victory for the National Conciliation Party, which won 39 of the 52 seats. However, the election was marred by massive fraud and the Central Election Council disqualified the candidates of the opposition National Opposing Union in five out of fourteen constituencies. Voter turnout was 56.7%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1970 Salvadoran legislative election</span>

Legislative elections were held in El Salvador on 8 March 1970. The result was a victory for the National Conciliation Party, which won 34 of the 52 seats. However, the election was marred by massive fraud. Voter turnout was just 41.6%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 Salvadoran legislative election</span>

Legislative elections were held in El Salvador on 10 March 1968. The result was a victory for the National Conciliation Party, which won 27 of the 52 seats. Voter turnout was just 36.6%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 Salvadoran legislative election</span>

Legislative elections were held in El Salvador in March 1952. The result was a victory for the Revolutionary Party of Democratic Unification, which was the only party to contest the elections as the opposition Renovating Action Party claimed that they were rigged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1954 Salvadoran legislative election</span>

Legislative elections were held in El Salvador in March 1954. The result was a victory for the Revolutionary Party of Democratic Unification, which was the only party to contest the elections as the opposition Renovating Action Party claimed that they were rigged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1960 Salvadoran legislative election</span>

Legislative elections were held in El Salvador on 24 April 1960. The result was a victory for the Revolutionary Party of Democratic Unification, which won all 54 seats after the Central Electoral Council had disqualified the candidates of the Renovating Action Party in seven of fourteen constituencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1956 Salvadoran presidential election</span> 1956 elections in El Salvador

Presidential elections were held in El Salvador on 4 March 1956. The result was a victory for José María Lemus of the Revolutionary Party of Democratic Unification, who received 95.2% of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1967 Salvadoran presidential election</span> 1967 elections in El Salvador

Presidential elections were held in El Salvador on 5 March 1967. The result was a victory for Fidel Sánchez Hernández of the Party of National Conciliation, who won 54.4 percent of the vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 Salvadoran presidential election</span>

Presidential elections were held in El Salvador on 20 February 1972. The result was a victory for Arturo Armando Molina of the Party of National Conciliation (PCN), who received 43% of the vote. However, the election was characterised by massive fraud. The PCN had faced a strong challenge from left- and right-wing opposition, and as a result had tried to rig the election by holding the presidential elections two weeks before the legislative election to ensure that if Molina failed to pass the 50% mark, the Legislative Assembly would still be under PCN control to approve him as president. Despite their attempts to stuff ballot boxes, it looked for a while as though José Napoleón Duarte of the opposition National Opposing Union had been victorious after the Central Election Board in San Salvador issued a statement that Duarte had won by around 6,000 votes. However, this was followed by a three-day news blackout, after which a revised set of figures was announced giving a narrow victory to Molina, meaning that the Legislative Assembly would choose the president. The opposition walked out of the vote, resulting in Molina being elected by 31 votes to zero.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1945 Salvadoran presidential election</span> 1945 elections in El Salvador

Presidential elections were held in El Salvador between 14 and 16 January 1945. The result was a victory for Salvador Castaneda Castro of the Social Democratic Unification Party. The election was boycotted by five candidates who withdrew after accusing Osmín Aguirre y Salinas of unfair practices to ensure victory for his favoured candidate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military dictatorship in El Salvador</span> 1931–1979 military regime in El Salvador

The Salvadoran military dictatorship was the period of time in Salvadoran history where the Salvadoran Armed Forces governed the country for almost 48 years from 2 December 1931 until 15 October 1979. The authoritarian military dictatorship limited political rights throughout the country and maintained its governance through rigged elections.

The 1979 Salvadoran coup d'état was a military coup d'état that occurred in El Salvador on 15 October 1979. The coup, led by young military officers, bloodlessly overthrew military President Carlos Humberto Romero and sent him into exile. The National Conciliation Party's firm grasp on power was cut, and in its place, the military established the Revolutionary Government Junta of El Salvador (JRG). The junta was composed of two military officers and three civilians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Death squads in El Salvador</span> 1960s–1990s paramilitary groups in El Salvador

Death squads in El Salvador were far-right paramilitary groups acting in opposition to Marxist–Leninist guerrilla forces, most notably of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), and their allies among the civilian population before, during, and after the Salvadoran Civil War. The death squads committed the vast majority of the murders and massacres during the civil war from 1979 to 1992 and were heavily aligned with the United States-backed government.

The National Opposing Union was a Salvadoran political coalition which existed from 1972 to 1979. The coalition was composed of the Christian Democratic Party, the National Revolutionary Movement, and the Nationalist Democratic Union.

The 1972 Salvadoran coup d'état attempt occurred from 25 to 26 March 1972 when young military officers attempted to overthrow the government of Fidel Sánchez Hernández, prevent the presidency of Arturo Armando Molina, and proclaim José Napoleón Duarte as President of El Salvador. The coup was suppressed and its leaders were exiled from the country.

References

  1. Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p276 ISBN   978-0-19-928357-6
  2. Nohlen, p289
  3. 1 2 Herman, Edward S. and Frank Brodhead (1984) Demonstration elections: U.S.-staged elections in the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, and El Salvador Boston: South End Press, p102

Bibliography