1931 Salvadoran presidential election

none January 2022 August 2025 1931 Salvadoran presidential election El Salvador presidential Popular 1927 Salvadoran presidential election 1927 11–13 January 1931 (popular vote)12 February 1931 (legislative vote) 1935 Salvadoran presidential election 1935 392,383 Legislative vote Arturo Araujo Fajardo.jpg Arturo Araujo Salvadoran Laborist Party 106,777 46.65% 42 Alberto Gómez Zárate c. 1923–1925.png 4168E1 Alberto Gómez Zárate Patriotic Action 64,280 28.09% 0 Enrique Córdova.png 54D673 Enrique Córdova National Development 34,499 15.07% 0 President Pío Romero Bosque Independent politician Arturo Araujo Salvadoran Laborist Party Presidential elections were held in El Salvador in 1931, with a popular vote taking place alongside concurrent legislative elections from 11 to 13 January 1931. Observers described the 1931 election as El Salvador's first free and fair election. None of the five candidates won an absolute majority, leading to the Legislative Assembly unanimously electing Arturo Araujo of the Salvadoran Laborist Party (PLS), who won a plurality in the popular election, as El Salvador's next president on 12 February 1931. The legislature also unanimously elected Brigadier General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez of the National Republican Party (PNR), who supported Araujo's campaign, as vice president. Araujo was overthrown in December 1931 and Martínez became president, ruling until 1944. 3 Background President Pío Romero Bosque implemented democratic reforms in El Salvador during his presidency, though his motivations for doing so are disputed. Theories include that it was to combat the radicalization of laborers,Ching 1997 292–293 to foster relations with the United States,Ching 1997 302 or to "leave his mark on history" by breaking with the Meléndez–Quiñónez dynasty that ruled El Salvador from 1913 to 1927.Ching 1997 302–303 The reforms enabled the 1931 presidential and legislative elections to be conducted in a genuinely democratic manner,Ching 1997 341 in contrast to the fraudulent elections held under the Meléndez–Quiñónez dynasty.Bernal Ramírez Quijano de Batres 2009 55 Polling stations were staffed by observer groups from each political party to ensure there was no fraud.Ching 1997 342 The government also increased its presence at polling stations by sending soldiers from the armed forces who, according to General Salvador Peña, would "maintain order and guarantee freedom of suffrage".Ching 1997 343 right 310px "I make this formal call to our patriotism that in this next step to resolve the political problem of presidential succession, that we be ready to support, in any way possible, the form that this process takes, as a reflection of our prudence and confirmation of our preparation for a democratic life." Pío Romero Bosque in Oficio 22 April 1930Ching 1997 344 Although Romero introduced several democratic reforms, he also issued a decree that banned worker's rallies and the spread of Marxist propaganda on 12 August 1930 to curb the rise in popularity of the Regional Federation of the Workers of El Salvador (FRTS). The National Guard arrested workers who protested the decree throughout August and September.Anderson 1971 40 In October, workers organized the Campaign for the Liberation of Political Prisoners, but this was also banned. In November, Romero released many who were arrested to diminish tensions with the workers, but on 21 December, General Enrique Leitzelar (the chief of the National Police) led a massacre in Santa Ana that killed worker leader Pedro Alonzo and seven others.Anderson 1971 41 Presidential candidates The presidential election had six candidates: Arturo Araujo of the Salvadoran Laborist Party (PLS), General Antonio Claramount Lucero of the Progressive Fraternal Party (PFP), Enrique Córdova of the National Development Party (PDN), Alberto Gómez Zárate of the Patriotic Action Party (PAP), Brigadier General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez of the National Republican Party (PNR), and Miguel Tomás Molina of the Constitutional Party (PC).Ching 1997 347–348 Additionally, Prudencia Ayala attempted to run as El Salvador's first female presidential candidate, but the Supreme Court of Justice blocked her from running because she was a woman.Ching 1997 347 Party Candidate Salvadoran Laborist Party 100px|center|Arturo Araujo Arturo Araujo Progressive Fraternal Party 100px|center|Antonio Claramount Lucero Antonio Claramount LuceroMilitary Commander of Usulután National Development Party 100px|center|Enrique Córdova Enrique CórdovaMinister of War and the Navy(1915–1919) Patriotic Action Party 100px|center|Alberto Gómez Zárate Alberto Gómez ZárateMinister of War, the Navy, and Aviation(1927–1930) National Republican Party 100px|center|Maximiliano Hernández Martínez Maximiliano Hernández MartínezDirector of the Polytechnic School Constitutional Party 100px|center|Miguel Tomás Molina Miguel Tomás MolinaMinister of Government, Promotion,and Agriculture(1919–1922) The candidates' ideologies varied. Araujo was a prominent laborist leader who was stylized as the "champion of labor". Martínez also attempted to gain the favor of the laborist movement but was considered to be a political unknown. Gómez Zárate was a conservative who had ties to the Meléndez–Quiñónez dynasty, having held several offices during its rule, while Claramount was an "extreme conservative". Córdova and Molina were reformists who were supported by progressives in the middle class.Anderson 1971 42 Romero did not choose a designated successor as had occurred in prior presidential elections.Grieb 1971 152 In July 1929, he wrote that "the Salvadoran people will select freely their future President without recommendation of imposition of any kind".Ching 1997 344 Although Romero never publicly picked a successor, according to American historian Thomas Anderson, Romero sympathized with Córdova and Molina, as both were fellow reformers, but that Romero was unable to pick between the two. According to Anderson, this is why Romero allowed all candidates to participate in the election.Anderson 1971 44 Election campaign right 310px "[If] this fourth year of work [...] results in an era of peace and liberty, we will have won for ourselves a decisive victory." Pío Romero Bosque in Oficio 22 April 1930Ching 1997 347 By 11 May 1930, Córdova, Gómez Zárate, and Molina declared their participation in the 1931 presidential election.Anderson 1971 41 Araujo, who ran as a presidential candidate in the 1919 election, was named as a potential candidate by the Diario del Salvador newspaper on 20 May, but he had not yet made any formal announcement. On 28 May, both Martínez and Claramount resigned from their positions in the army and declared their candidacies. On 13 June, Claramount, Gómez Zárate, Martínez, and Molina held a meeting to establish the election's rules where it was decided the winner would be the candidate of the "masses". Araujo declared his candidacy on 4 July.Anderson 1971 42 All of the candidates held campaign rallies and organized local political party chapters, but many of their campaign promises were vague or similar to those of the other candidates.Ching 1997 348 For example, Gómez Zárate ran a broad campaign that sought to appease all voters.Ching 1997 351 Conversely, Araujo openly aligned himself with El Salvador's labor movement. In July 1930, his party published an "Open Letter Directed to the Salvadoran Workers and Peasants" that described Araujo as a "true friend of the working class [...] who knows [the worker's] sufferings, the precarious situation in which they live, and who listens to their anguished voices".Ching 1997 349 Party members also promised land redistribution, but Araujo himself publicly denied that he had made this promise as he was a wealthy landowner.Ching 1997 249 & 350 Araujo and Gómez Zárate were the election's frontrunners. As Gómez Zárate served as Romero's Minister of War, the Navy, and Aviation, he had the military's support.Grieb 1971 152 Araujo attempted to tie Gómez Zárate to events that occurred during the Meléndez–Quiñónez dynasty, including the 1922 Christmas Day Massacre of people who supported Molina in the 1923 presidential election.Ching 1997 278 & 351 One week before the election, Martínez suspended his campaign and endorsed Araujo in exchange for becoming Araujo's running mate, likely due to Martínez believing he would not be able to win the election.Ching 1997 352 Meanwhile, Araujo hoped that Martínez being his vice president would ease relations with the armed forces as Gómez Zárate was the armed forces' preferred candidate.Grieb 1971 152Ching 1997 353 This was the only coalition formed for the 1931 presidential election.Grieb 1971 153 American historian Thomas Anderson believed that Martínez's endorsement did not sway many voters.Anderson 1971 50 Results right 310px "[N]o one can deny that [Romero] [...] gave ample guarantees to all the parties, and the elections of that period proved to be a process that was democratic, instructive, and realized in peace despite the existing laws which were insufficient by themselves to guarantee suffrage." Enrique Córdova in Miradas date unknownChing 1997 305 thumb|right|upright=0.8|alt=An excerpt of the Diario Oficial newspaper|The 12 February 1931 legislative decree that elected Araujo as El Salvador's next president The 1931 presidential and legislative elections were held on 11 through 13 January.Krennerich 2005 276 There were 392,383 registered voters in the 1931 elections accounting for 27.4 percent of El Salvador's population. In total, 228,866 valid votes were cast.Krennerich 2005 277 All men were eligible to vote.Krennerich 2005 270 A candidate had to receive an absolute majority of the votes in order to become President; if no candidate won an absolute majority, the Legislative Assembly would elect the president.Krennerich 2005 272 Prior to and during the three days that votes were cast, there were hundreds of complaints of electoral fraud, although none reported any violence.Ching 1997 353 When the votes were counted, Araujo finished first with 106,777 votes, followed by Gómez Zárate in second with 64,280 votes, Córdova in third with 34,499 votes, Claramount in fourth with 18,399 votes, and Molina in fifth with 4,911 votes.Krennerich 2005 287"Anderson" According to Diario Latino, Araujo received 101,069 votes, Gómez Zárate received 62,931 votes, Córdova 32,778 votes, Claramount 16,464 votes, and Molina 4,163 votes.Anderson 1971 47"Ching" According to Erik Ching, Araujo received ~101,000 votes, Gómez Zárate received ~64,000 votes, Córdova ~32,000 votes, Claramount ~16,000 votes, and Molina ~4,000 votes.Ching 1997 354 Araujo won a plurality of the votes but not an absolute majority.Grieb 1971 153 As no candidate won an absolute majority, the Legislative Assembly was scheduled to elect the president on 12 February 1931.Anderson 1971 47Grieb 1971 153 The legislature was able to pick from the top three candidates.Anderson 1971 47 Córdova told his supporters in the Legislative Assembly to vote for Araujo.Ching 1997 354 On 12 February, the members of the Legislative Assembly elected in the 1931 legislative election convened for the legislature's first session. They unanimously elected Araujo as El Salvador's next president and Martínez as El Salvador's next vice president.Diario Oficial 1931 265 Popular vote Legislative vote Arturo Araujo Salvadoran Laborist Party 106777 42 #FFD700 Alberto Gómez Zárate Patriotic Action Party 64280 0 #4168E1 Enrique Córdova National Development Party 0 34499 #54D673 Antonio Claramount Lucero Progressive Fraternal Party 18399 plum Miguel Tomás Molina Constitutional Party 4911 blue 392383 42 100.00 Krennerich 2005, p. 287"Anderson""Ching" Aftermath thumb|right|upright=0.9|alt=A black-and-white photograph of Arturo Araujo's presidential inauguration|Arturo Araujo (second from the right), Pío Romero Bosque (to Araujo's right), and Maximiliano Hernández Martínez (far left) at Araujo's inauguration in 1931 Most of the candidates accepted the result of the election,Ching 1997 353 but Claramount claimed that there was fraud and called for the armed forces to stage a coup d'état. Leitzelar mobilized police officers in San Salvador to prevent this from occurring.Anderson 1971 47 Warren Delano Robbins, the United States minister to El Salvador, was worried that the armed forces would stage a coup and ordered the USS Sacramento gunboat stationed in Panama to be on standby for a potential mobilization to El Salvador. This never occurred, however, as Martínez being Araujo's running mate satisfied the armed forces.Grieb 1971 153Anderson 1971 47 Robbins later described the conduct of the 1931 presidential election as "[being] carried through in admirable fashion".Anderson 1971 47 Contemporary observers described the election as having been free and fair.Ching 1997 2 Araujo and Martínez became President and Vice President of El Salvador, respectively, on 1 March 1931.Anderson 1971 49 Araujo reaffirmed his commitment to supporting Salvadoran workers.Ching 1997 354 He became President when El Salvador's economy was struggling in part due to the Great Depression and the collapse of coffee prices.Ching 1997 359–360 Araujo's presidency only lasted ten months, culminating in a military coup d'état on 2 December 1931 that overthrew Araujo.Ching 1997 357Grieb 1971 154 On 4 December, the armed forces proclaimed Martínez as the country's president.Ching 1997 363–364 The following week, Martínez convinced two of the 1931 presidential candidates—Gómez Zárate and Molina—to legitimize his presidency by publicly supporting it. Córdova withdrew from public life and came under surveillance for opposing Martínez,Ching 1997 369–370 while Claramount's party challenged Martínez in the 1932 municipal election.Ching 1997 374 Martínez ruled El Salvador as its longest serving president until his resignation in 1944.Haggerty 1990 16–18 Notes References Citations 22em Bibliography Books 35em yes Anderson Thomas P. 1971 Matanza: El Salvador's Communist Revolt of 1932 https://archive.org/details/matanzaelsalvado0000ande/mode/2up en Lincoln, Nebraska University of Nebraska 9780803207943 78146885 1150304117 23 May 2025 Bernal Ramírez Luis Guillermo Quijano de Batres Ana Elia 2009 Historia 2 El Salvador History 2 El Salvador https://www.mined.gob.sv/descarga/cipotes/historia_ESA_TomoII_0_.pdf Historia El Salvador es Ministry of Education San Salvador, El Salvador 9789992363683 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20220113050934/https://www.mined.gob.sv/descarga/cipotes/historia_ESA_TomoII_0_.pdf 13 January 2022 17 August 2025 amp Ching Erik K. 1997 From Clientelism to Militarism: The State, Politics and Authoritarianism in El Salvador, 1840–1940 https://www.proquest.com/docview/304330235 PhD en Santa Barbara, California University of California, Santa Barbara 39326756 23 May 2025 304330235 Haggerty Richard A. 1990 El Salvador: A Country Study https://archive.org/details/elsalvadorcountr00hagg en 2nd Washington, D.C., United States Federal Research Division 9780525560371 89048948 1044677008 19 August 2025 Krennerich Michael El Salvador 2005 Nohlen Dieter Dieter Nohlen Elections in the Americas A Data Handbook Volume 1: North America, Central America, and the Caribbean https://books.google.com/books?id=-xZREAAAQBAJ en Oxford, United Kingdom Oxford University Press 270–299 9780191557934 58051010 23 May 2025 Journals 35em yes Grieb Kenneth J. Kenneth Grieb 1971 The United States and the Rise of General Maximiliano Hernández Martínez Journal of Latin American Studies en Cambridge University Press 3 2 151–172 10.1017/S0022216X00001425 0022-216X 156558 9983670644 146607906 Newspapers 35em yes 12 February 1931 San Salvador, El Salvador Poder Legislativo http://abaco.uca.edu.sv/acervo/Diario_Oficial/1931/1931-02.pdf Legislative Power Diario Oficial es 110 36 265 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20250222074736/http://abaco.uca.edu.sv/acervo/Diario_Oficial/1931/1931-02.pdf 22 February 2025 17 August 2025 Diario Oficial 1931 El Salvador Politics El Salvador Presidential Category:Election and referendum articles with incomplete results Category:January 1931 in North America Category:Presidential elections in El Salvador