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

ES

republic

San Salvador

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

15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

23 December 1983

based on civil and Roman law, with traces of common law;
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
note: Legislative Assembly passed landmark judicial reforms in 1996

18 years of age; universal

chief of state: President Francisco FLORES Perez (since 1 June 1999);
Vice President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt (since 1 June 1999); note -
the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Francisco FLORES Perez (since 1 June
1999); Vice President Carlos QUINTANILLA Schmidt (since 1 June 1999);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by
popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 7 March 1999
(next to be held NA March 2004)
election results: Francisco FLORES Perez elected president; percent of
vote - Francisco FLORES (ARENA) 52%, Facundo GUARDADO (FMLN) 29%,
Ruben ZAMORA (CDU) 7.5%, other (no individual above 3%) 11.5%

unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea
Legislativa (84 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to
serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 16 March 1997 (next to be held 12 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 9, PDC 8, PRSC 3,
CD 2, PLD 2, MU 1, PD 1, independent 3

Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), judges are selected by
the Legislative Assembly

Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Rene
AGUILUZ, secretary general]; Democratic Convergence or CD [Ruben
ZAMORA, secretary general]; Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front
or FMLN ; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Kirio
Waldo SALGADO, president]; National Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro
CRUZ Zepeda, secretary general]; National Republican Alliance or ARENA
; Popular Labor Party or PPL [Ernesto VILANOVA,
secretary general]; Social Christian Union or USC [Abraham RODRIGUEZ,
president]; Social Democratic Party or PD [Jorge MELENDEZ and Juan
MEDRANO]; United Democratic Center or CDU , bloc
includes CD and PD formed by merger of Christian Social Renewal Party
or PRSC, National Solidarity Movement or MSN, and the Unity Movement
or MU

labor organizations: Association of Agricultural Producers or APROAS;
Electrical Industry Union of El Salvador or SIES; Federation of the
Construction Industry, Similar Transport and other activities, or
FESINCONTRANS; National Confederation of Salvadoran Workers or CNTS;
National Union of Salvadoran Workers or UNTS; Port Industry Union of
El Salvador or SIPES; Salvadoran Workers Central or CTS; Workers Union
of Electrical Corporation or STCEL
business organizations: National Association of Small Enterprise or
ANEP; Salvadoran Assembly Industry Association or ASIC; Salvadoran
Industrial Association or ASI

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

chief of mission: Ambassador Rene Antonio LEON Rodriguez
chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:  (202) 265-9671
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco
consulate(s): Boston

chief of mission: Ambassador Anne W. PATTERSON
embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena, Antiguo Cuscatlan, San Salvador
mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023
telephone:  278-4444
FAX:  278-6011

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