Elections in El Salvador
The government of El Salvador is a presidential representative democratic republic.
El Salvador elects its head of state - the President of El Salvador - directly through a fixed-date general election whose winner is decided by absolute majority. If an absolute majority is not achieved by any candidate in the first rounnd of a presidential election, then a run-off election is conducted 30 days later between the two candidates who obtained the most votes in the first round. The presidential period is five years. Consecutive re-election is not permitted, though previously elected presidents may run for a second, non-consecutive term.
Salvadorans also elect a single-chamber, unicameral national legislature - the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador - composed of 84 members. They are elected by open-list proportional representation for three-year terms, with the possibility of immediate re-election. All 84 seats in the Legislative Assembly are elected on the basis of 14 multi-member constituencies. They range from 3-16 seats each according to department population size.
Political culture
El Salvador has a multi-party system. Two political parties, the Nationalist Republican Alliance and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front have tended to dominate elections. ARENA candidates won four consecutive presidential elections until the election of Mauricio Funes of the FMLN in March 2009.Geographically, the departments of the Central region, especially the capital and the coastal regions, known as departamentos rojos, or red departments, are relatively Leftist. The departamentos azules, or blue departments in the east, western and highland regions are relatively conservative.
Schedule
Election
Inauguration
Presidential elections
1915
1919
1923
1927
1931
1935
1939
1944
1945
1950
1956
1962
1967
1972
1977
1982
1984
1989
1994
1999
2004
2009
2014
2019
Legislative elections
1928
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1931
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1932
The 1932 Salvadoran legislative election occurred between 3-5 January 1932 but the results were cancelled by President Maximiliano Hernández Martínez. Further elections for 10-12 January were also cancelled.1936
The 1936 Salvadoran legislative election occurred in January 1936 but no results were published.1939
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1944
The 1944 Salvadoran Constitutional Assembly election occurred in January 1944 but no results were published.1950
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1952
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1954
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1956
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1958
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1960
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1961
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1964
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1966
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1968
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1970
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1972
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1974
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1976
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1978
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1982
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1985
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1988
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1991
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1994
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