Famous Salvadoran Leaders

Salvador Sánchez Cerén is a Salvadoran politician best known for his service as the 42nd President of El Salvador from 2014 to 2019. A guerrilla leader in the Salvadoran Civil War, Sánchez Cerén was the first ex-rebel to serve as president. An influential politician, Salvador Sánchez Cerén also served as the Vice President of El Salvador from 2009 to 2014.

José Napoleón Duarte was the president of El Salvador during the tumultuous years of the Salvadoran Civil War and had witnessed mass killings of civilians by the army. Though he was supported by the U.S., he failed to remove poverty from his country and ended up being ousted by ARENA.

Mauricio Funes is a Salvadoran politician who won the 2009 presidential election representing the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front political party. He served as the 44th president of El Salvador from 2009 to 2014. Before establishing himself as a politician, Mauricio Funes had a successful career in journalism, hosting local news programs and interviewing leftist rebel leaders.

Antonio Saca is a Salvadoran politician best known for his service as the 40th President of El Salvador from 2004 to 2009. Prior to his political career, Saca worked as a broadcast journalist. Antonio Saca made headlines in 2018 when he was sentenced to 10 years in prison after he was convicted with money laundering and embezzlement charges.  

Francisco Flores Pérez was a Salvadoran politician and an important member of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA). From 1999 to 2004, Flores served as the 42nd president of El Salvador. Flores became the first former president from El Salvador to be charged with a crime and tried on corruption charges.

Fidel Sánchez Hernández was a Salvadoran politician and military officer. He served as the 32nd President of El Salvador from 1967 to 1972. In 1969, he led the Salvadoran Army in the Football War against Honduras. Prior to becoming the president, Fidel served as an army general. He also served as the Minister of the Interior from 1962 to 1967.

Carlos Humberto Romero was a Salvadoran politician best remembered for his service as the 37th President of El Salvador from 1977 to 1979. His presidency was marked by political unrest that culminated in the 1979 Salvadoran coup d’état, which ended Carlos Humberto Romero's presidency.

Ana Maria was a Salvadoran political figure who was second in command of a guerrilla military and political organization called the Fuerzas Populares de Liberación Farabundo Martí (FPL). An intellectual, Ana Maria was regarded as an icon among revolutionary women. She was assassinated on April 6, 1983 by her own comrades in Managua, Nicaragua.

Milena Mayorga is a Salvadoran political figure and former beauty pageant contestant and model. She represented El Salvador at the 1996 Miss Universe pageant where she entered the top ten. Milena Mayorga is currently serving as Salvadoran Ambassador to the United States of America.

Joaquín Eufrasio Guzmán was a Salvadoran politician best remembered for his service as the acting President of El Salvador. He served as the acting president on three occasions between 1844 and 1859. An important politician, Joaquín Eufrasio Guzmán also served as the Vice President of El Salvador on a couple of occasions.   

Maria Luisa Hayem is a Salvadoran politician and economist. In 2019, she was appointed as the Minister of the Economy of Salvador and is currently working towards reactivating her country's economy. Maria Luisa Hayem is also credited with forming a non-profit organization called Mentoring International, which mentors young people in El Salvador.

Maria Ofelia Navarrete is a Salvadoran politician who was appointed by President Nayib Bukele as the Minister of Local Development in May 2019. She also played a prominent role in the establishment of a bridge named Maria Chichilco over the Torola River, which was inaugurated in 2019. 

María Isabel Rodríguez is a physician, government official, and academic. In 1956, Rodríguez was among the first set of women to enter the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly. She then went on to serve as the Minister of Health and Social Welfare from 2009 to 2014. Rodríguez also served as the rector of the University of El Salvador from 1999 to 2007. 

Lilian Mercedes Letona was a Salvadoran communist and guerrilla revolutionary. An important member of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, Mercedes is best remembered for taking an active part in the Salvadoran Civil War. Lilian Mercedes Letona died fighting in a battle at the age of 28.

Margarita Villalta de Sánchez is a politician, activist, and public figure. Best known as the wife of former El Salvador President, Salvador Sánchez Cerén, Villalta served as the First Lady of El Salvador from 2014 to 2019. During their tenure as president and first lady, Sánchez Cerén and Villalta converted their official residence into a museum.

Alexandra Hill Tinoco is a Salvadoran politician and the current Minister of Foreign Affairs of El Salvador. Over the course of her career, Hill Tinoco has also played an important role in the development of a non-governmental organization named Fundasalva, which focuses on the treatment of drug abuse.

Ana Vilma de Escobar is a Salvadoran politician who served as the Vice President of El Salvador from 2004 to 2009. An important member of the Nationalist Republican Alliance party, De Escobar is the first Salvadoran woman to serve as the country's vice president.

Francisco Gavidia was a Salvadoran writer, speaker, historian, educator, politician, journalist, and translator. A multi-talented personality, Gavidia's work in literature, theater, music, philosophy, and politics continue to have a strong impact in El Salvador. Francisco Gavidia is also credited with mentoring the Nicaraguan poet Rubén Darío.

Diego Vigil Cocaña was a Central American politician who served as the President of Federal Republic of Central America from 1839 to 1840. He also served as the 11th and 13th President of El Salvador between 1836 and 1838. Diego Vigil Cocaña is also remembered for his service as the seventh President of Honduras from 1828 to 1829.

Cristina Cornejo is a Salvadoran politician, feminist, and lawyer. An important member of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, Cornejo has held prominent offices. Cristina Cornejo is also one of the most important members of the Mélida Anaya Montes Women's Movement Association.

Marianella García Villas was a Salvadoran attorney who gave up her political career to establish the country's first independent human rights commission. After the 1979 coup d'état, García started documenting human rights abuses in El Salvador. She achieved international recognition when she took her documentation to the UNCHR. In 1983, Marianella García Villas was killed by the Salvadoran Armed Forces.   

Carmen Elena Figueroa is a Salvadoran politician who was elected to the National Assembly in 2006. She is currently an important member of the Nationalist Republican Alliance. A former beauty pageant winner, Carmen Elena Figueroa represented her country at the 1975 Miss Universe Pageant.

Irma Amaya is a Salvadoran human rights activist, feminist, former guerrilla fighter, and politician. In 2018, she was elected as the first woman President of the Central American Parliament and served in that position until 2019. Irma Amaya is also credited with founding an organization called the Mélida Anaya Montes Women's Movement Association.

Marta Benavides is a Salvadoran theologian and feminist religious leader. A multi-talented personality, Benavides is also an ordained American Baptist minister, artist, educator, and permaculturist. She is credited with founding an organization called Siglo XXIII, which promotes cultural activities. Marta Benavides is the recipient of several prestigious awards including the Women's World Summit Foundation Prize.

Karina Sosa is a Salvadoran politician and a member of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador. During the 2019 presidential election, Sosa achieved popularity as the running mate of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front's presidential candidate, Hugo Martínez.

Gloria Salguero Gross was a Salvadoran businesswoman and politician. She is best remembered for co-founding the Nationalist Republican Alliance. From 1994 to 1997, Salguero Gross was the president of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador. Gloria Salguero Gross was only the second female politician to serve in that position.

Marisol Argueta de Barillas is a Salvadoran politician best known for her service as the Minister of Foreign Relations from 16 January 2008 to 1 June 2009. Also an educator, Marisol Argueta de Barillas has worked at a private university as an assistant professor of Political Law and Constitutional Law.

Carmen María Gallardo Hernández is a Salvadorian diplomat who has served in important diplomatic posts abroad. She has also served in various representative roles in international organizations such as the United Nations. Carmen María Gallardo Hernández has also received many accolades over the course of her illustrious career.

Violeta Menjivar is a Salvadoran politician best known for her service as the Minister of Health and Social Welfare from 2014 to 2019. In 2006, she became the first woman to be elected as the Mayor of San Salvador, a position which she held until 2009.

Milena Calderón Sol de Escalón is a Salvadoran politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador for the Nationalist Republican Alliance between 1991 and 2018. In 2018, she was elected as the first female mayoress of Santa Ana. 

Jose Maria Peralta Lagos was a Salvadoran writer, politician, and military engineer. He is perhaps best remembered for his service as the Minister of National Defense from 1 March 1911 to 9 February 1913. Peralta Lagos is also credited with overseeing the establishment of the Teatro Nacional de El Salvador along with José Emilio Alcaine in the early 20th century.