Rubén Ignacio Zamora Rivas (born November 9, 1942) is a

Salvadoran Salvadorans (), also known as Salvadorians, are citizens of El Salvador, a country in Central America. Most Salvadorans live in El Salvador, although there is also a significant Salvadoran diaspora, particularly in the United States, with smalle ...

politician.

Education

*until the age of nineteen he studied in a

Seminary A seminary, school of theology, theological college, or divinity school is an educational institution for educating students (sometimes called seminarians) in scripture and theology, generally to prepare them for ordination to serve as cle ...

, got influenced by the theology of liberation, was attracted by ecclesial base communities, where the formation of peasant collectives and self-help communities began. *He completed a law degree abroad.

Politician

*His efforts for the rural poor soon faced with the repression of the ruling oligarchy of landowners (''Argolla de oro'') and military. *In 1960 he joined the

Christian Democratic Party __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...

(PDC), founded by

José Napoleón Duarte José Napoleón Duarte Fuentes (23 November 1925 – 23 February 1990) was a El Salvador, Salvadoran politician who served as President of El Salvador from 1 June 1984 to 1 June 1989. He was mayor of San Salvador before running for president in ...

. *Ahead of the presidential elections of 1972, the PDC joined together with other opposition groups, the social democratic MNR and the further to the left ''Unión Democrática Nacionalista'' (UDN, fundada en 1969), the ''Unión Nacional Opositora'' (UNO). Duarte ran for the presidency, MNR leader Guillermo Ungo for the office of vice president. *He was a member of the cabinet of the Salvadoran government

Revolutionary Government Junta of El Salvador The Revolutionary Government Junta (, JRG) was the name of three consecutive joint civilian-military dictatorships that ruled El Salvador between 15 October 1979 and 2 May 1982. The first junta, from 1979 to 1980, consisted of two colonels, Ado ...

following the October 15, 1979 coup, but he resigned in early 1980 to protest the escalation of repression as the horrific

civil war A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

was breaking out. His brother, Mario, was serving as Attorney General when he was assassinated by a right wing death squad on February 23, 1980. After resigning from government, Rubén Zamora helped found the Frente Democrático Revolucionario (FDR) in April 1980. After some time in exile, Rubén Zamora returned to

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of 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 by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

in November 1987 and helped to found the Convergencia Democrática (CD), a center-left electoral coalition that, still in the midst of the civil war, competed in the 1989 elections. Its willingness to compete marked an attempt to reestablish a peaceful center-left. In the first presidential election following the civil war in 1994, Zamora was the presidential candidate for the leftist coalition that included the former guerrilla Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front. He finished in second place with 25% of the vote. In subsequent years he has run for office with various incarnations of center-left parties, such as the Centro Democrático Unido (CDU - United Democratic Center). During the 1990s, he served as Vice President of the National Assembly and as a member of the National Peace Commission, and he founded and led the Centro Democrático Unido party. Zamora has taught political science at the

University of El Salvador The University of El Salvador (UES) is the oldest and the most prominent university institution in El Salvador. It serves as the national university of the country. The main campus, Ciudad Universitaria, is located in the capital of San Salvador ...

Universidad Centroamericana Central American University may refer to: * Central American University, Managua * Central American University, San Salvador * Autonomous University of Central America, located in Costa Rica {{Disambiguation ...

, Universidad San Carlos, and Universidad Rafael Landivar (both in

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

Essex University The University of Essex is a public research university in Essex, England. Established by royal charter in 1965, it is one of the original plate glass universities. The university comprises three campuses in the county, in Southend-on-Sea and ...

, and

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. He has published many works on Salvadoran politics, including El Salvador, heridas que no cierran: Los partidos políticos en la post-guerra, and La izquierda partidaria salvadoreña: Entre la identidad y el poder. *On he was designated ambassador to

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, where he was accredited on until he was accredited as Permanent Representative to the

Headquarters of the United Nations , image = Midtown Manhattan Skyline 004 (cropped).jpg , image_size = 275px , caption = View of the complex from Long Island City in 2021; from left to right: the Secretariat, Conference, and General Assembly buil ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on . Serving as the Ambassador of El Salvador to The

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, he is known for his humble nature.

References

Living people United Democratic Centre (El Salvador) politicians Ambassadors of El Salvador to the United States Permanent representatives of El Salvador to the United Nations 1942 births Candidates for President of El Salvador {{ElSalvador-politician-stub