icameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea
Legislativa (84 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to
serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 16 March 1997 (next to be held NA March 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party-ARENA 35.4%, FMLN 34.3%,
PCN 8.1%, PDC 7.9%, CD 3.8%, PRSC 3.4%, PLD 3.2%, MU 2.1%, PD 1.0%,
other 0.8%; seats by party - ARENA 28, FMLN 27, PCN 9, PDC 8, PRSC 3,
CD 2, PLD 2, MU 1, PD 1, independent 3

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), judges are selected by
the Legislative Assembly

Political parties and leaders: National Republican Alliance or ARENA
[Alfredo CRISTIANI]; Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN
[Facundo GUARDADO, general coordinator]; Christian Democratic Party or
PDC [Ronal UMANA, secretary general; title in dispute]; National
Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro CRUZ Zepeda, secretary general];
Democratic Convergence or CD [Ruben ZAMORA, secretary general];
Popular Labor Party or PPL [Jose VILANOVA, secretary general]; Liberal
Democratic Party or PLD [Kirio Waldo SALGADO, president]; Social
Christian Union or USC (formed by union of the PRSC, MU, and MSN)
[Abraham RODRIGUEZ, president]; Democratic Party or PD [Ana Guadeloupe
MARTINEZ, president]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
labor organizations: National Confederation of Salvadoran Workers
(CNTS)National Union of Salvadoran Workers (UNTS); Federation of the
Construction Industry, Similar, Transport and other activities
(FESINCONTRANS); Salvadoran Workers Central (CTS); Port Industry Union
of El Salvador (SIPES); Electrical Industry Union of El Salvador
(SIES); Workers Union of Electrical Corporation (STCEL)
business organizations: Salvadoran Industrial Association
(ASI)Salvadoran Assembly Industry Association (ASIC); National
Association of Small Enterprise (ANEP)

International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO,
G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer),
MINURSO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Rene A. LEON
chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671, 9672
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco
consulate(s): Bos