1977 Salvadoran presidential election

1977 Salvadoran presidential election
← 1972 20 February 1977 1982 →
 
Nominee Carlos Humberto Romero Ernesto Antonio Claramount Roseville
Party PCN UNO
Running mate Julio Ernesto Astacio José Antonio Morales Ehrlich
Popular vote 812,281 394,661
Percentage 67.30% 32.70%
President before election

Arturo Armando Molina
PCN

Elected President

Carlos Humberto Romero
PCN

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Presidential elections were held in El Salvador on 20 February 1977.[1]

The result was a victory for Carlos Humberto Romero of the Party of National Conciliation, who received 67.3% of the vote. However, the election was characterised by massive fraud,[2] with officials of the National Opposing Union (UNO, an alliance of the Christian Democratic Party, National Revolutionary Movement and Nationalist Democratic Union) intercepting military radio transmissions ordering ballot box stuffing, whilst their election officials were assaulted and ejected from polling stations.[3] According to credible witnesses, in sixteen districts where an honest count was made, the UNO candidate, Ernesto Antonio Claramount Roseville, won around 75% of the vote.[3]

  1. ^ Dieter Nohlen (2005) Elections in the Americas: A data handbook, Volume I, p276 ISBN 978-0-19-928357-6
  2. ^ Nohlen, p289
  3. ^ a b 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