Flores Pérez, Francisco Guillermo

Flores Pérez, Francisco Guillermo (1959- ), President of El Salvador (1999-2004). Born in Santa Ana, he studied political science at Amherst College in Massachusetts before completing further studies in philosophy at the universities of Harvard and Oxford. Flores embarked on a career as a philosophy lecturer, travelling extensively in the United States, Europe, and India, before returning to El Salvador to run a cattle ranch and stud farm and manage a community irrigation project. The assassination of his father-in-law, who was chief of staff under President Alfredo Cristiani, in 1989 by left-wing Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) guerrillas, prompted him to abandon his farming ambitions and enter politics.

Flores joined the National Party of the Republican Alliance (ARENA) and took office in Cristiani’s government as deputy minister of planning. He was appointed as the government representative for social issues and planning and later served as presidential adviser and secretary of information. From 1997 to 1999 he was president of the country’s unicameral National Assembly, and presided over hearings into allegations of corruption at El Salvador’s central bank. Flores stood as the ARENA candidate in presidential elections held in March 1999 and was successful, beating FMLN candidate Facundo Guardado by a significant margin. He took office as president two months later, announcing that he would concentrate on improving employment opportunities, reducing crime rates, increasing social investment, and implementing plans for sustainable economic development. Flores signed a free-trade treaty with Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala in June 2000 to encourage stronger cooperation in the region. The following month he pushed a bill through parliament allowing the United States to establish a military base at the country’s main international airport; these were the first US troops permanently based in El Salvador since their withdrawal in 1992. Flores’s proposals for dollarization came into effect in January 2001, with the aim of stabilizing and strengthening the country’s economy. In March 2003 the FMLN became the single largest party in Congress following the general election, beating ARENA into second place. Despite this ARENA candidate Antonio Elías “Tony” Saca easily won the 2004 presidential election to succeed Flores.