Colonel Arturo Armando Molina (born August 6, 1927 in San Salvador) was President of El Salvador between July 1, 1972 and July 1, 1977. Molina, running for the National Conciliation Party, came to power through a fradulent election, "winning" over José Napoleón Duarte. After the rigged results had been announced, a group of young military officers, disillusioned by the blatant fraud, launched a coup attempt on March 25, 1972. The coup, led by Colonel Benjamin Mejia, sought to establish a revolutionary junta, ideally with Duarte as president. However, the coup attempt was quickly crushed by Molina and the military. (Source: Country Studies, US Library of Congress) In 1975, Molina began the first land reform ever in pre-1980 Salvadoran history. He was openly opposed to both left-wing and right-wing agitators. In 1977 he ran for Minister of Defense.
| Preceded by Fidel Sánchez |
President of El Salvador 1972–1977 |
Succeeded by Carlos Humberto Romero |
