General Carlos Humberto Romero Mena (29 February 1924 – 27 February 2017) was a Salvadoran army general politician who served as
President of El Salvador
The president of El Salvador ( es, Presidente de El Salvador), officially known as the President of the Republic of El Salvador ( es, Presidente de la República de El Salvador), is the Head of State, head of state and Head of Government, head ...
from 1 July 1977, until his overthrow in a
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
on 15 October 1979.
Early life
Romero was born in
Chalatenango,
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
, on 19 February 1924.
Military career
Romero studied at the
Captain General Gerardo Barrios Military School and the Command and General Staff School. He did specialized horse riding studies in
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
Romero was a member of the
National Conciliation Party
The National Coalition Party ( es, Partido de Concertación Nacional, PCN) is a nationalist political party in El Salvador. Until 2011 it was known as the National Conciliation Party ( es, Partido de Conciliación Nacional, PCN). It was the most ...
,
and also served as Defense Minister from 1972 to 1977.
He launched his candidacy for the
National Conciliation Party
The National Coalition Party ( es, Partido de Concertación Nacional, PCN) is a nationalist political party in El Salvador. Until 2011 it was known as the National Conciliation Party ( es, Partido de Conciliación Nacional, PCN). It was the most ...
(PCN) in the
February 1977 presidential elections. On 24 February, the Central Elections Council declared that he had won the election with 67.3% of the vote and was to be sworn in as President while
Julio Ernesto Astacio was declared Vice President. The opposition forces grouped in the
National Opposition Union
National Opposition Union ( es, Unión Nacional Opositora, UNO) was a Nicaraguan wide-range coalition of opposition parties formed to oppose president Daniel Ortega's Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) in the 1990 election. Its can ...
(UNO) filed complaints about numerous acts of fraud
[ Nohlen, D (2005) ''Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I'', p276 ] and electoral coercion
[Herman, Edward S. and Frank Brodhead (1984) ''Demonstration elections: U.S.-staged elections in the Dominican Republic, Vietnam, and El Salvador'' Boston: South End Press, p102] committed in the vote. The period between his election and the inauguration proved to be extremely dangerous for his opponents. On 28 February 1977, the military forces dissolved a UNO protest rally in the Plaza Libertad in
San Salvador
San Salvador (; ) is the capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its eponymous department. It is the country's political, cultural, educational and financial center. The Metropolitan Area of San Salvador, which comprises the capital i ...
.
Presidency
General Romero was sworn in on 1 July 1977. He responded to accusations of "electoral fraud" by declaring a state of emergency for thirty days and established a rigidly conservative government.
Romero's time in office was largely characterized by escalating violence and instability. In the late 1970s, political unrest increased, because of El Salvador's severe socio-economic inequalities unaddressed by his government and widespread discontent with government policy culminated in widespread protest and rebellion, which was met with reprisal by government forces. President Romero increased government education spending, but this won him no popularity with the left. The different police, military and government paramilitary forces launched a bloody repression campaign against leftist groups that ended the lives of 4 Catholic priests and numerous leaders and militants of workers and peasant organizations. He is accused of having ordered the student massacre of 30 July 1975. Left-wing armed groups responded to the violence exerted by the State with attacks on the security forces and government officials. The repression plunged the country into a serious social crisis.
1979 coup
Romero held power until October 1979, when he was deposed with a reformist
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
by dissident, politically leftist and moderate military officers and civilians. The ''coup d'état'' that deposed Romero was preamble to
El Salvador's twelve-year civil war.
Later life and death
After being deposed, Romero lived in exile in
Guatemala
Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...
before returning to
El Salvador
El Salvador (; , meaning " The Saviour"), officially the Republic of El Salvador ( es, República de El Salvador), is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south b ...
. He died on 27 February 2017 at the age of 92 of natural causes.
Orders and decorations
Collar of the
Order of Isabella the Catholic
The Order of Isabella the Catholic ( es, Orden de Isabel la Católica) is a Spanish civil order and honor granted to persons and institutions in recognition of extraordinary services to the homeland or the promotion of international relations a ...
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Romero, Carlos Humberto
1924 births
2017 deaths
People from Chalatenango Department
Salvadoran expatriates in Mexico
Salvadoran expatriates in Guatemala
Salvadoran exiles
National Coalition Party (El Salvador) politicians
Presidents of El Salvador
Defence ministers of El Salvador
Leaders ousted by a coup
People of the Salvadoran Civil War
Salvadoran military personnel
Captain General Gerardo Barrios Military School alumni