Topic: Alfredo Cristiani

Alfredo Cristiani Burkard, popularly known as Alfredo Cristiani (b. c1948) was President of El Salvador from 1989 to 1994.

Born into a wealthy family in San Salvador, he was educated at the 'Escuela Americana' (American School) in San Salvador and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where he graduated with a degree in Business Administration. He returned to El Salvador to work for the family business, which included pharmaceuticals, coffee, cotton and until July 2008 the Semillas Cristiani Burkard (SCB) the Central American Monsanto representative, leading corn seed company focused on hybrid corn production .

He remained generally outside politics until the beginning of the 1980s when the leftist FMLN guerillas and their campesino followers began squatting on farms. As insurrection became more widespread, he became involved with the Conservative ARENA party, which had been founded by School of the Americas trained military intelligence officer Roberto D'Aubuisson. In March 1985 D'Aubuisson resigned after ARENA suffered a defeat in the congressional elections, and Cristiani became leader of the party.