Sánchez Cerén, Salvador [key], 1944–, Salvadoran rebel and political leader. After attending Alberto Masferrer Salvadoran Univ. (grad. 1963), he became a teacher and was active in the teachers union ANDES 21 de Junio. In the early 1970s he joined the Popular Liberation Forces (FPL), which later became part of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN). During the country's civil war (1979–92), Sánchez Cerén became (1983) head of the FPL and then a commander with the FMLN. He later played an important role in peace negotiations with the government, after which the FMLN became a political party. He was a member of parliament (2000–2009), then was elected vice president (2009–14) when Mauricio Funes won the presidency; he also served as education minister (2009–12). In 2014, Sánchez Cerén was elected president of El Salvador.
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