1972 Salvadoran presidential election
20 February 1972 (popular vote)
March 1972 (legislative vote) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registered | 1,119,699 | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 72.02% | |||||||||||||||||||||
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Presidential elections were held in El Salvador in 1972. A popular election was held on 20 February between four candidates, but since no candidate won an absolute majority, the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador elected the president indirectly in March. There was widespread fraud in the election's conduct.
On election day, the Central Electoral Council declared the National Opposition Union's (UNO) José Napoleón Duarte to have won the election, but the ruling National Conciliation Party (PCN) rigged the election in favor of its candidate, Colonel Arturo Armando Molina. The Legislative Assembly unanimously elected Molina as president after the opposition boycotted the vote.