| Elías Antonio Saca González | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 01 June 2004 |
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| Vice President(s) | Ana Vilma de Escobar |
| Preceded by | Francisco Flores Pérez |
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| Born | 9 March 1965 Usulután, Usulután, El Salvador |
| Political party | ARENA |
| Spouse | Ana Ligia Mixco de Saca |
Elías Antonio Saca González (born in Usulutan, 9 March 1965) is a Salvadoran politician and the current President of El Salvador. He was elected President in 2004. He was elected to serve a 5-year term that ends in 2009. Saca is descended from Palestinian immigrants who arrived in El Salvador in the early 20th century from Bethlehem, Holy Land. Prior to becoming President he was a broadcast journalist, specializing in sports radio and a prominent businessman. On 21 March 2004 he was elected President of El Salvador and, on 1 June 2004 succeeded President Francisco Flores. Both Saca and Flores are members of the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance party, generally known by its Spanish-language acronym ARENA. During the election campaign, some commentators criticized Saca's lack of political experience. In the election, Saca defeated leftist Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) candidate, Schafik Handal, also of Palestinian descent. The election results were:
- Antonio Saca (ARENA) 57.7%
- Schafik Handal (FMLN) 35.6%
- Héctor Silva (CDU-PDC) 3.9%
- Other 2.8%
With his embracing of the free-market and pro-United States policies like those pursued by Flores, Saca was the clear favorite of George Bush's administration in the 2004 presidential election.
External links
| Preceded by Francisco Flores |
President of El Salvador 2004– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
