Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara facts for kids

Claudia Juana Rodríguez de Guevara (born in 1980 or 1981) is an accountant and politician from El Salvador. She served as the acting President of El Salvador from December 1, 2023, to June 1, 2024. She took on this important role after President Nayib Bukele was given a special permission by the Legislative Assembly. This allowed him to focus on his campaign for re-election in 2024.

Before becoming acting president, Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara worked as a finance manager for President Bukele. She held this job both before he became president and during his time in office, from 2019 to 2023. In 2021, she was chosen to be the Director of Municipal Works. The next year, in 2022, she became President Bukele's private secretary. On November 30, 2023, the Legislative Assembly chose her to be the "designated president." She officially started her duties the very next day. She is the first woman to hold presidential powers in El Salvador.

Early Life and Education

Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara was born in El Salvador, either in 1980 or 1981. She went to the Reverend José Saberlio Ponce Christian College. She also studied at the General Francisco Morazán National Institute.

Later, she attended Francisco Gavidia University for five semesters. She also completed a course at the Corporation of Accountants of El Salvador.

Career as an Accountant

Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara has a strong background in accounting. From 2012 to 2015, she worked as a finance manager for the city of Nuevo Cuscatlán. At that time, Nayib Bukele was the mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán.

From 2015 to 2018, she served as the treasurer for the city of San Salvador. Again, Nayib Bukele was the mayor during this period. In August 2018, she became the finance manager for Nuevas Ideas. This is the political party that Nayib Bukele started in 2017. She is also a member of this party.

Rodríguez continued to work as a finance manager when Bukele became president in June 2019. In November 2022, she became the director of the Emergency Committee. In this role, she helped manage funds to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. On November 25, 2021, President Bukele appointed her to lead the new Directorate of Municipal Works.

On March 17, 2022, President Bukele named Claudia Rodríguez as his private secretary. She took over this role from Ernesto Castro. Castro had become the president of the Legislative Assembly. On April 21, 2023, Bukele also named her as a representative for the Road Conservation Fund.

Becoming Acting President

On November 30, 2023, the Legislative Assembly chose Claudia Rodríguez to be the designated president. This happened after President Bukele was granted a leave of absence. He needed this time to focus on his re-election campaign for 2024.

Even though she took on the presidential duties, her official title was "Presidential Designate of the Republic in Charge of the Office." This means she was in charge of the office, but not the president herself. The Assembly approved her appointment with 67 votes in favor and 11 against.

She officially started her duties on December 1, 2023. Many news outlets called her the country's first female president, even though it was in an acting role. She will continue to hold these powers until June 1, 2024. There was some discussion about whether she was officially sworn in. The President of the Legislative Assembly, Ernesto Castro, said she was sworn in privately. However, another deputy, Guillermo Gallegos, said a swearing-in was not needed for her role.

Some lawyers and politicians had different opinions about her appointment. They debated whether it followed the country's constitution. Some people felt that someone who was not elected by the public should not hold such a powerful position. Others believed that President Bukele would still be making the decisions, even with an acting president in place.

During her time as acting president, Claudia Rodríguez accepted the resignation of Moisés Cabrera. He was the president of the Development Bank of El Salvador. On December 22, she appointed Nelson Rivas to take his place. On May 6, 2024, she also appointed Mauricio Calderón Sansivirini to lead the Salvadoran Institute of Coffee.

Personal Life

Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara has a brother named Douglas Rodríguez Fuentes. He is currently the president of the Central Reserve Bank of El Salvador. He has held this position since September 19, 2020.

See also

In Spanish: Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara para niños

• List of elected and appointed female heads of state and government