legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations
National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Executive branch:
president, vice president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President Alfredo CRISTIANI Buchard (since 1 June 1989); Vice President Jose
Francisco MERINO (since 1 June 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
National Republican Alliance (ARENA), Armando CALDERON Sol; Christian
Democratic Party (PDC), Fidel CHAVEZ Mena; National Conciliation Party
(PCN), Ciro CRUZ Zepeda; National Democratic Union (UDN), Mario AGUINADA
Carranza; the Democratic Convergence (CD) is a coalition of three parties -
the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Wilfredo BARILLAS; the National
Revolutionary Movement (MNR), Victor VALLE; and the Popular Social Christian
Movement (MPSC), Ruben ZAMORA; Authentic Christian Movement (MAC), Julio REY
PRENDES; Democratic Action (AD), Ricardo GONZALEZ Camacho
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
Legislative Assembly:
last held 10 March 1991 (next to be held March 1994); results - ARENA 44.3%,
PDC 27.96%, CD 12.16%, PCN 8.99%, MAC 3.23%, UDN 2.68%; seats - (84 total)
ARENA 39, PDC 26, PCN 9, CD 8, UDN 1, MAC 1
President:
last held 19 March 1989 (next to be held March 1994); results - Alfredo
CRISTIANI (ARENA) 53.8%, Fidel CHAVEZ Mena (PDC) 36.6%, other 9.6%
Other political or pressure groups:
Business organizations:
National Association of Private Enterprise (ANEP), conservative; Productive
Alliance (AP), conservative; National Federation of Salvadoran Small
Businessmen (FENAPES), conservative

:El Salvador Government

FMLN front organizations:
Labor fronts include - National Union of Salvadoran Workers (UNTS), leftist
umbrella front group, leads FMLN front network; National Federation of
Salvadoran Workers (FENASTRAS), best organized of front groups and
controlled by FMLN's National Resistance (RN); Social Security Institute
Workers Union (STISSS), one of the most militant fronts, is controlled by
FMLN's Armed Forces of National Resistance (FARN) and RN; Association of
Telecommunications Workers (ASTTEL); Centralized Union Federation