Antonio Saca, President of El Salvador

Elías Antonio ("Tony") Saca González (born in Usulutan, 9 March 1965) is a Salvadorian politician and the current President of El Salvador. He was elected President in 2004. He was elected to serve a 5-year term that ends in 2009.

Saca is descended from Palestinian immigrants who arrived in El Salvador in the early 20th century. Prior to becoming President he was a broadcast journalist, specializing in sports radio and a prominent businessman.
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 lack of political experience. In the election Saca defeated leftist Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) candidate, Schafik Handal, also of Palestinian descent, by a margin 45% with 55% voter turnout. With his embracing of the free-market and pro-United States policies like those pursued by Flores, Saca was the clear favorite of George Bush's administration in the 2004 presidential election. Influenced by the U.S.A. government, Saca has become one of the most criticized presidents of El Salvador.