El Salvador was presided over by Salvadoran politician Francisco Flores Perez from 1999 to 2004. Flores, a charismatic individual with a stellar academic background, initially had little interest in politics. In reality, he began working as a teacher as soon as he finished his education. However, destiny had other plans for him. He was appointed deputy minister for planning as a result of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) party winning the 1989 presidential elections. For this distinguished politician, there was no turning back from that point on. He was the Presidency’s Secretary of Information in 1994, and three years later he was elected President of the Legislative Assembly. His election as President of El Salvador in the 1999 presidential elections marked a turning point in his political career. He improved relations with the United States while in office by closely following its policies. Additionally, he played a key role in the conversion of the colon, the previous currency of El Salvador, to dollars. Monaco awarded him the Grand Cross of the Order of Grimaldi honor for his remarkable service to his nation. He was the first former president of El Salvador to be charged with corruption, tried for the crime, and placed under house imprisonment for the remainder of his life.
Early Childhood & Life
Francisco Flores Perez was born to Ulises Flores and Maria Leonor Perez Flores in Santa Ana, El Salvador, on October 17, 1959. His two siblings are.
He enrolled at the Escuela Americana in San Salvador after finishing his elementary schooling, where he eventually graduated. He then enrolled at Hillyer College, a division of the University of Hartford, to earn a sociology degree.
He afterward was accepted to Amherst College in Massachusetts, where he majored in political science. After that, he relocated to England to enroll in Trinity College, University of Oxford’s History and Literature department.
He earned a Master’s degree in philosophy from the World University in California after returning to America. In addition, he pursued studies in philosophy and economics at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Francisco Flores’s Career
Francisco Flores Perez went back to El Salvador in 1983. El Salvador was going through a period of political upheaval at the time as the civil war entered its fourth year. Dr. José Matas Delgado hired him to teach philosophy at the university when he first began his profession (UJMD).
Flores, in contrast to others, chose to focus solely on teaching and refrained from getting involved in politics.
Only at the tail end of the 1980s did Flores start a political career. The Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) party won the March 1989 elections for the Republic’s presidency. Flores was chosen by Party leader Alfredo Cristiani Burkard to serve as the vice minister for planning.
He eventually rose to the position of deputy minister of the Presidency, acting as the President’s advisor. He was instrumental in helping to create the State of the Peace Accords, which the FMLN (Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front) eventually signed, ending the conflict.
He was chosen to serve as a deputy in the Legislative Assembly in March 1994. He worked as the Executive Secretary of Information to the Presidency under the new nationalist president, Armando Calderón.
Flores was elected president of the Legislative Assembly in 1997. The Law of Telecommunications was signed under his presidency. The action was significant since it ensured an overall improvement in the coverage of telecommunications and was signed with the assent of all parliamentarians of political parties.
Flores was chosen by ARENA as their candidate for the 1999 presidential elections 1998. He then resigned from his position as the legislative leader. Flores’ moderate stance within the party provided him the advantage over other party members.
He was elected president and took office on July 1, 1999. He held the position for the full five years, from 1999 to 2004.
Flores kept close contact with the US during his presidency, which improved US-Salvadoran relations. This was made clear by the fact that he sent Salvadoran troops to Iraq to assist the US military. Later, he worked to establish a free trade pact between the US and Central America.
The dollarization project was his most notable initiative when he was president. Under his direction, the colon, Salvador’s previous currency, was replaced with the dollar.
The public was divided on Flores’ dollarization initiative; some praised it while others criticized it. However, when considering the economy of the nation, the change was well thought out because it resulted in additional benefits such as lower interest rates, simpler trade, and easier absorption into the global economy.
There were also setbacks during Flores’ administration. He received criticism for being an autocratic ruler who incited an excessive number of strikes. Additionally, the country’s significant long-term inflation was brought on by his dollarization. Ineffective international aid given to locals in 2001 after two devastating earthquakes struck the country only made matters worse.
Flores expressed a strong desire to run for the position of Organization of American States Secretary-General in 2004. Miguel Angel Rodriguez, a former president of Costa Rica, was chosen for the position. His curiosity was once more piqued by Rodriguez’s resignation, but he withdrew due to a lack of backing.
Flores was put under house arrest after being charged with corruption and disobedience. The Attorney General of El Salvador looked into the situation. He was accused of mishandling $10 million in donations made by the government of Taiwan while he was president in 2003.
Flores’s Bigger Works
The State of Peace Accords, which were principally established, planned, and managed by Flores, were accepted by the FMLN guerrilla group during Flores’ tenure as the vice minister of the presidency and advisor to the head of state.
In his capacity as President of the Legislative Assembly, Flores was successful in passing the telecom law, which resulted in a general improvement in all telecommunication coverage sectors. The deputy leaders of the three major political parties—ARENA, PCN, and PDC—approved the deal.
Salvador’s economy has been credited to Flores as its designer. The colon served as El Salvador’s currency before he was elected president. The colon was replaced by the US dollar thanks to his leadership. The dollarization of the economy resulted in lower interest rates, simpler trade, and simpler global economic integration.
Recognition & Achievements
He received the Grand Cross of the Order of Grimaldi from the Principality of Monaco on July 20, 2001, in recognition of his great achievements while serving as El Salvador’s political leader.
Personal Legacy & Life
In 1985, Flores wed Lourdes Maria Rodriguez, a descendant of Jose Antonio Rodriguez Porth.
After going into a coma following an urgent surgery, Flores, who had suffered a cerebral hemorrhage in January 2016, passed away on January 30, 2016, in a private hospital in San Salvador. Prior to his cerebral hemorrhage, he was only 55.
Estimated Net Worth
Francisco is one of the wealthiest and most well-liked politicians. Francisco Flores Pérez has a net worth of $5 million, according to our analysis of data from sources including Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.
Trivia
Paco and Paquito were the nicknames for Francisco Flores Perez.
He was the youngest candidate to fill the position of President of El Salvador ever at the time of his appointment, both in El Salvador and on the American continent. He had just turned 39 when he was elected president.