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WORLD NEWSMonday 1 February 2016
Former president of El Salvador Francisco Flores dies at 56
MARCOS ALEMAN
Associated Press
SAN SALVADOR, El Salva-
dor (AP) — Former Salva-
doran President Francisco
Flores, whose five years in
power were tarnished by
accusations of corruption
and elitism, died Saturday
in the capital after suffering pitalized for it in October
a cerebral hemorrhage, his
party said. He was 56.
The former leader had
been in a coma since un-
dergoing emergency sur-
gery.
Flores, who led El Salvador
from 1999 to 2004, was un-
der house arrest on charg-
es of embezzlement and
illegal enrichment. He was
accused of diverting more
than $15 million, which had
been donated by Taiwan
to help the victims of earth-
quakes in 2001. A court says
$10 million of that went to
the party backing him and
the remainder to him.
The conservative Nation-
alist Republican Alliance,
better known as ARENA,
which carried Flores to the
presidency, mourned his
death and said it would
support his family. Cur-
rent Salvadoran President
Salvador Sanchez also
offered his condolences
through his official Twitter
account.
Doctors last week said
Flores had suffered irrevers-
ible neurological damage
and that his chances of
survival were minimal.
Flores had suffered from
In this Jan. 13, 2005 file photo, former President of El Salvador was innocent and others
Francisco Flores announces his candidacy for Secretary Gen- that he was guilty,” Herrera
eral of the Organization of American States (OAS) at the presi- said. “Now he’s before di-
dential house in San Salvador, El Salvador. vine justice.”
Flores had a meteoric rise
Associated Press to the presidency, but once
there gained a reputation
thrombosis, the clotting of volvement of others. for being arrogant and dis-
blood in veins. He was hos- On Sunday, ARENA law- tant from his people. He
maker Ernesto Muyshondt became El Salvador’s first
2014. He was hospitalized expressed sadness that president to be charged
again Dec. 22, 2015, for an Flores had died under the and put on trial for acts of
internal hemorrhage. cloud of criminal charges. corruption during his time in Flores took office at the
Loyda Robles, one of the “Over the past few years office.
plaintiff lawyers against he was plagued, vilified, “The people will remember
Flores, said last week that accused by these people him for the terrible dollar-
his death would end the who wanted to harm him,” ization, for the Firm Hand
criminal prosecution, but Muyshondt said. “I’m sorry (to combat crime) and as
that the civil litigation that he has left us before corrupt,” said Angelica Ri-
would continue. he could clear his name vas, who works with a non-
Robles also said that plain- and prove his innocence.” profit organization promot-
tiffs had asked the coun- Retired teacher Tomas Her- ing women’s rights.
try’s Supreme Court to add rera awoke to the news Jeannette Aguilar, of the
the charge of money laun- Sunday and also expressed University Institute of Pub-
dering to the case. That regret Flores had died be- lic Opinion at the Central
could expand the criminal fore the prosecution could American University Jose
prosecution beyond Flores run its course. Simeon Canas, said that
to include the possible in- “His friends said that he various studies showed
Flores’ presidency to be
among the worst based on
public opinion.
“He was a leader with an
arrogant style, a lot of hu-
bris, not close to the peo-
ple, who responded to the
interests of the economic
elite who at that time domi-
nated Arena,” Aguilar said.
Born to a well-off, conser-
vative and anti-communist
family, Flores rose quickly
through the ranks of Arena,
which ruled El Salvador be-
tween 1989 and 2009. He
started in the government
of Arena’s first president,
Alfredo Cristiani, in 1989,
when he was still in his 20s.
Just a few days into his new
position, a guerrilla attack
killed his wife’s father. In the
1990s, he served as an Are-
na legislator and in 1997
was elected president of
the legislature.
He won the presidency in
1999, beating former guer-
rilla commander Facundo
Guardado.
age of 39 as Arena’s third
consecutive president. He
left office in 2004.
During his time in power, El
Salvador was hit with suc-
cessive natural disasters.
Earthquakes in January
and February 2001 killed
more than 1,000 people
and left 200,000 homeless.
Later a severe drought de-
stroyed coffee crops.
The corruption scandal
and alleged theft of the
earthquake-relief funds
sealed his reputation with
many. The switch to the
U.S. dollar as the country’s
currency also received a
huge popular backlash.
Salvadorans were encour-
aged to see the attempts
to bring Flores to justice, but
he did not live long enough
to see out the process.
“Our justice system has
been slow, has obeyed the
interests that do not obey
the interest of justice of the
people and some try to
make him out to be the vic-
tim,” said Miguel Montene-
gro from the El Salvador Hu-
man Rights Commission.q