Editing Roberto D'Aubuisson (section)

== Political career ==

=== President of the Legislative Assembly ===

In the [[1982 Salvadoran Constitutional Assembly election|1982 legislative election]], the PDC won 40 percent of the vote but not a controlling majority in the legislature. Meanwhile, ARENA won 29 percent of the vote, the PCN won 19 percent, Democratic Action (AD) won 8 percent, and other parties won the remaining 4 percent. D'Aubuisson was among one of ARENA's 19 deputies in the Legislative Assembly. Representing the [[San Salvador Department]], he assumed office on 26 April 1982.{{sfn|Legislative Assembly|2006|p=125}}

Although ARENA and the PCN were held a majority and sought to elect D'Aubuisson as the country's president, pressure from the United States dissuaded the PCN which voted with the PDC to elect AD candidate [[Álvaro Magaña]] as the country's president.<ref name="ucsd">{{cite web|url=https://library.ucsd.edu/research-and-collections/collections/notable-collections/latin-american-elections-statistics/El%20Salvador/elections-and-events-1980-1989.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210323211406/https://library.ucsd.edu/research-and-collections/collections/notable-collections/latin-american-elections-statistics/El%20Salvador/elections-and-events-1980-1989.html|archive-date=23 March 2021|access-date=26 September 2023|work=[[University of California, San Diego]]|location=[[San Diego]], [[California]]|title=Elections and Events 1980–1989}}</ref> Rather than being elected as president of El Salvador, D'Aubuisson was instead elected as the [[List of presidents of the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador|president of the Legislative Assembly]], serving from 26 April 1982 to 20 December 1983.{{sfn|Legislative Assembly|2006|p=125}} The JRG's government ended on 2 May 1982{{sfn|Bosch|1999|p=114}}

On 31 March 1983, D'Aubuisson was allowed entry to the United States by the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] after deeming him not barred from entry any longer. When asked about D'Aubuisson's association with the assassination of Archbishop Romero, the [[United States Department of State|State Department]] responded that "the allegations have not been substantiated."<ref>{{Cite news|title=Salvadoran Rightist Leader Issued Visa|last=Knutson|first=Lawrence|date=6 April 1983|agency=Associated Press}}</ref>  In November 1993, documents by the [[United States Department of State|State Department]], [[United States Department of Defense|Defense Department]], and the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] were released after pressure by Congress increased. The 12,000 documents revealed that the administrations of [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[George H. W. Bush]] knew of the assassinations conducted by D'Aubuisson, including that of Oscar Romero, and still worked with him despite this.<ref>{{Cite news|title=U.S., Aware of Killings, Worked With Salvador's Rightists, Papers Suggest|last=Krauss|first=Clifford|date=9 November 1993|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

=== 1984 presidential campaign ===

On 25 March 1984, D'Aubuisson began his campaign for the Salvadoran presidency. On 2 May he lost the [[1984 Salvadoran presidential election|presidential election]] to former President of the Junta [[José Napoleón Duarte]] of the [[Christian Democratic Party (El Salvador)|Christian Democratic Party]], receiving 46.4 percent of the vote to Duarte's 53.6 percent. D'Aubuisson claimed fraud and U.S. interference on behalf of Duarte, who was later confirmed to have been a CIA asset.
In Washington D.C., a supporter of D'Aubuisson was Senator [[Jesse Helms]], who had close ties with D'Aubuisson's ARENA party.<ref name="Bronstein Jy 8">{{cite news | last = Bronstein | first =Phil | title=Jesse Helms and his arms-trading staff | work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] | date=July 8, 2008 | url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/bronstein/detail?&entry_id=27938 | access-date=July 8, 2008}}</ref><ref name="McEwan Jy 7">{{cite news | last = Melissa McEwan | first =Melissa McEwan | title=Republican dinosaur: Although he fought every progressive cause, Jesse Helms aimed special enmity towards black people | work=[[The Guardian]] | date=July 7, 2008 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/jul/07/usa | access-date=July 8, 2008 | location=London}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|work=National Catholic Reporter |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_n41_v30/ai_15802111 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080622192750/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1141/is_n41_v30/ai_15802111 |url-status=dead |archive-date=June 22, 2008 |date=September 23, 1994 |author=Arthur Jones |title=El Salvador revisited: a look a declassified State Department documents – some of what U.S. government knew – and when it knew it }}</ref>

Helms opposed the appointment of [[Thomas R. Pickering]] as [[United States Ambassador to El Salvador|Ambassador to El Salvador]],<ref name="Link 248">Link (2007), p. 248</ref> and alleged that the CIA had interfered in the 1984 Salvadoran election in favor of Duarte,<ref name="CIA role in El Salvador">{{cite news |first=Reginald |last=Dale |title=CIA role in El Salvador election criticised |work=[[Financial Times]] |date=May 10, 1984 }}</ref> claiming that Pickering had "used the cloak of diplomacy to strangle freedom in the night".<ref name="Link 248" /> A CIA operative testifying to the [[United States Senate Select Committee on Intelligence|Senate Intelligence Committee]] was alleged by Helms to have admitted rigging the election, but senators who attended stated that, whilst the CIA operative admitted involvement, the person did not admit to rigging the election.<ref name="CIA role in El Salvador" /> Helms disclosed details of CIA financial support for Duarte, earning a rebuke from fellow senator [[Barry Goldwater]], but Helms replied that his information came from sources in El Salvador, not the Senate committee.<ref>Link (2007), p. 249</ref>

In December 1984, D'Aubuisson travelled to Washington and was presented with a plaque by groups such as the [[American Foreign Policy Council]], the [[Moral Majority]] and the [[Young Americans for Freedom]] for “continuing efforts for freedom in the face of communist aggression which is an inspiration to freedom-loving people everywhere”.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Omang|first=Joanne|date=December 5, 1984|title=D'Aubuisson Honored by Conservatives at Capitol Hill Dinner|newspaper=Washington Post}}</ref>

=== Deputy of the Legislative Assembly ===

In 1985, D'Aubuisson was re-elected as a deputy of the Legislative Assembly from San Salvador.{{sfn|Legislative Assembly|2006|p=133}} In 1988, he was re-elected as a deputy of the Legislative Assembly, but instead from [[La Libertad Department (El Salvador)|La Libertad]].{{sfn|Legislative Assembly|2006|p=140}} In 1991, he was re-elected as a deputy of the Legislative Assembly, again from La Libertad.{{sfn|Legislative Assembly|2006|p=146}}