At stake in this election:

• The office of President of El Salvador

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Armando CALDERON Sol
• Head of Government: President Armando CALDERON Sol
• Assembly: El Salvador has a unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa) with 84 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by popular vote to serve a 5-year term.
• In the Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa) 84 members are elected by popular vote via proportional representation to serve 3-year terms.

Main Candidates in the Presidential race:

• Francisco FLORES
  • Party: National Republican Alliance / (ARENA)
• Facundo GUARDADO
  • Party: Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front / (FMLN)
• Rubén ZAMORA Rivas***
  • Coalition: Democratic United Center / (CDU)
• Rodolfo PARKER
  • Party: Christian Democratic Party / (PDC)
• Hernán CONTRERAS
  • Party: National Conciliation Party / (PCN)
• Salvador Nelson GARCÍA
  • Party: Democratic Republican League / (LIDER)
• Francisco AYALA DE PAZ
  • Party: Party of the United People and the New Deal / (PUNTO)

*** The Democratic United Center coalition includes the Popular Laborist Party, the Democratic Convergence, and the Democratic Party.

Last Presidential election:

• The last presidential election was held on March 20 and April 24, 1994. In the April 24, 1994, runoff election, Armando CALDERON Sol received 68.35% of the vote and thus defeated Rubén ZAMORA Rivas, his closest competitor with 31.65% of the vote.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 5,775,660 (1999)
• Registered Voters: 3,171,224 (1999)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 2,989,093 (1999)

·         Is El Salvador a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (14 November 1980)

·         Has El Salvador ratified CEDAW: Yes (19 August 1981)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: No

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 13 (following the 1997 elections)

·         Human Development Index Position: 116 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is El Salvador a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has El Salvador ratified CRPD: Yes (14 December 2007)

·         Population with a disability: 866,349 (est.)