Luis Parada

Luis Alberto Parada Fuentes (born 2 April 1960) is a Salvadoran lawyer and retired soldier. Parada serves as an international defense attorney and is known for his work on the case of the 1989 murders of Jesuits in El Salvador. Parada was the presidential candidate for Nuestro Tiempo for the 2024 Salvadoran presidential election.

Early life Luis Alberto Parada Fuentes was born on 2 April 1960 in the San Jacinto neighborhood of San Salvador.

Military service In 1980, Parada graduated from the Captain General Gerardo Barrios Military School. He was assigned to the parachute battalion of the Salvadoran Army and was stationed in Morazán during the Salvadoran Civil War (1979–1992). after which, he served as a military attaché in Washington, D.C.

On 9 February 2020, Parada renounced his rank of captain the day that President Nayib Bukele sent 40 soldiers into the Legislative Assembly. Parada also criticized Minister of Defense René Merino Monroy for his participation in the incident, arguing that Merino should be relieved of his duty. He is a defense attorney specialized in defending countries. On four occasions, Parada defended El Salvador against international arbitration cases, specifically on legal matters related to the energy industry, of hundreds of millions of dollars each.

Political career

2019 presidential campaign On 20 April 2017, during an interview with Radio 102 Nueve, Parada expressed interest in acquiring the presidential nomination for the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) for the 2019 presidential election, having joined the party that same month. In August 2017, Parada told the newspaper that he planned to finance his campaign through large donations, but added that he would only accept donations if the individual donating money did not expect him to provide presidential favors in exchange. He also stated that he chose to seek the presidency with ARENA because he believed that the party fit his political views. On 2 October 2017, Parada stated he would no longer seek ARENA's presidential nomination, arguing that the party's candidate selection process would make his campaign impossible. Parada officially left ARENA in May 2018.

2024 presidential campaign On 31 May 2023, Parada announced his intention to run for president in the 2024 presidential election. His candidacy was proposed by the Sumar por El Salvador civil movement, and , an activist and human rights lawyer, was his running mate. The following day during an interview with Telecorporación Salvadoreña's Frente a Frente, Andy Failer, the leader of the Nuestro Tiempo political party, confirmed that Parada and Medrano were both running under the banner of Nuestro Tiempo. On 15 July 2023, Nuestro Tiempo held its primary elections and Parada was confirmed as the party's presidential candidate. In the election, Parada finished in fourth place, winning 2.04 percent of the vote; Bukele won re-election.

Political views Parada has criticized the Armed Forces of El Salvador's (FAES) conduct during the Salvadoran Civil War, stating that it went against the law, and condemned the 1989 Jesuit murders.

Parada is in favor of the decriminalization of abortion. In an interview with Telecorporación Salvadoreña's Frente a Frente he said that "I believe that abortion is a woman's very personal decision. We are pro-life, but there are situations where there are medical emergencies and personal decisions that the State should not penalize a woman for" (""). In an interview with Channel 9, Parada stated that, if he won the presidency, he would review the necessity of the Salvadoran gang crackdown and if it would be necessary to maintain. He has described the security provided by the gang crackdown as "the only card the Government has fabricated, and I say fabricated because it is that, a fabrication, an illusion" ("").

Personal life Parada has a wife and children who immigrated with him to the United States.

Electoral history Year Office Type Party Main opponent Party Votes for Parada Result Swing Total % . 2024 President of El Salvador General NT Nayib Bukele NI 65,076 2.04 4th N/A Hold