Antonio Saca

President Saca

Elías Antonio ("Tony") Saca González (born in Usulutan, 9 March 1965) is a Salvadoran politician. President of El Salvador from 2004.

Saca is descended from Palestinian immigrants who arrived in El Salvador in the early 20th century. In addition to his political activities, he is a prominent businessman and broadcast journalist, specializing in sports radio.

On 21 March 2004 he was elected President of El Salvador and, on 1 June 2004 succeeded President Francisco Flores. Both Saca and Flores are members of the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance party, generally known by its Spanish-language acronym ARENA. During the election campaign, some commentators criticized Saca's scant political experience. Regardless he defeated Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) is candidate, Schafik Handal, also of Palestinian descent, by a margin 22% with 70% voter turnout. With his embracing of the free-market and pro-United States policies pursued by Flores, Saca was the clear favorite of George W. Bush's administration in the 2004 presidential election. Washington officials are confident that Saca will be able to maintain El Salvador's warm relations with the United States.