Luis Parada (lawyer)

Luis Alberto Parada Fuentes 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 is currently the presidential candidate for Nuestro Tiempo for the 2024 Salvadoran general election.

For other people named Luis Parada, see Luis Parada (disambiguation).
In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Parada and the second or maternal family name is Fuentes.
Luis Parada
Born
Luis Alberto Parada Fuentes

San Salvador, El Salvador
NationalitySalvadoran
Alma materCaptain General Gerardo Barrios Military School
West Point Military Academy
Georgetown University Law Center
Occupation(s)Lawyer, soldier
Political partyNuestro Tiempo (since 2023)
Other political
affiliations		Independent (2018–2023)
Nationalist Republican Alliance (2017–2018)
Military career
Allegiance El Salvador
Service/branch Salvadoran Army
Years of service1980–1994
RankCaptain
Battles/warsSalvadoran Civil War

Early life

Luis Alberto Parada Fuentes[1] was born in the San Jacinto neighborhood of San Salvador.[2]

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).[2] Parada attended West Point Military Academy, graduating in 1984,[3][4] after which, he served as a military attaché in Washington, D.C.[2] Eventually, Parada became a member of the National Directorate of Intelligence (DNI). On 16 November 1989, Parada and 24 other DNI members visited the Central American University shortly after a massacre committed by the army killed eight people, including six Jesuits.[4] Parada was discharged from the army in 1994,[2] retiring with the rank of captain.[5]

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.[2]

In 1997, Parada immigrated to the United States and studied at Georgetown University Law Center, becoming a practicing lawyer working for law firms specializing in international law, such as Foley Hoag, Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle, Dewey & LeBoeuf, and Arnold & Porter.[2][6][7] 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.[6][7] He has cooperated with officials from Spain and the United States regarding the case of the 1989 Jesuit murders.[4][5]

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.[8] In August 2017, Parada told the La Prensa Gráfica 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.[6] According to an opinion poll published by Marketing y Tendencias on 1 September 2017, around 2 percent of ARENA members stated that Parada should be the party's presidential candidate.[9] 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.[10] Parada officially left ARENA in May 2018.[11]

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 Celia Medrano, an activist and human rights lawyer, was his running mate.[12][13] 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.[14] On 15 July 2023, Nuestro Tiempo held its primary elections and Parada was confirmed as the party's presidential candidate.[15][16]

Political views

Parada has criticized the Armed Forces of El Salvador's (FAS) conduct during the Salvadoran Civil War, stating that it went against the law, and condemned the 1989 Jesuit murders.[8] During his 2019 presidential campaign, Parada stated that he felt "a lot of feeling, a lot of pity, [and] a lot of regret" ("mucho sentimiento, mucha lástima, mucho pesar") to see El Salvador in a situation of high crime, extortion, and corruption.[6] In June 2023, Parada claimed that Bukele had proposed to make Parada a member of his cabinet in 2019.[17]

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 penalise a woman for" ("Yo creo que el aborto es una decisión muy personal de una mujer, somos próvida pero tampoco en todas las situaciones, se van a dar emergencias que requieran tomar decisiones médicas y decisiones personales, que el Estado no debe penalizar”).[18] 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.[19]

Personal life

Parada has a wife and children who immigrated with him to the United States.[2]

Electoral history
Year Office Type Party Main opponent Party Votes for Parada Result Swing
Total  % P. ±%
2024 President of El Salvador General NT To be determined N/A TBD

References
  1. "Cronología del Crimen 11 al 16 de Noviembre de 1989" [Chronology of the Crime of 11 to 16 November 1989]. Central American University (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  2. "Luis Parada Renuncia a su Grado de Capitán del Ejército Tras Militarización de Asamblea" [Luis Parada Renounces His Rank of Captain in the Army After Militarization of the Assembly]. Contra Punto (in Spanish). 11 February 2020. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  3. "Luis Alberto Parada". West Point Association of Graduates. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  4. Dada, Carlos (27 November 2016). ""Todos en la Dirección Nacional de Inteligencia Sabíamos Quién Había Matado a los Jesuitas"" ["All of Us in the National Directorate of Intelligence Knew Who Had Killed the Jesuits"]. El Faro (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  5. Dada, Carlos (4 April 2016). "Calderón Sol: "Que Venga España a Revivir el Caso Jesuitas es Patear la Soberanía Nacional"" [Calderón Sol: "For Spain to Come Revive the Case of the Jesuits is to Step on National Sovereignty"]. El Faro (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  6. ""Si Me Donan, no Esperen Favores en la Presidencia"" ["If You Donate to Me, Don't Expect Favors during my Presidency"]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). 25 August 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  7. Arbitration Advisors, Sovereign. "Luis A. Parada". Sovereign Arbitration Advisors. Sovereign Arbitration Advisors. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  8. "Abogado y Exmilitar Quiere ser Candidato Presidencial de ARENA" [Lawyer and Ex-Soldier Wants to be ARENA's Presidential Candidate]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). 20 April 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  9. Calvo Guerra, María José (6 September 2017). "¿"Nueva Visión de País" o "Nuevas Ideas"?" ["New Vision of Country" or "New Ideas"?]. Central American University (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 August 2023.
  10. "Abogado Luis Parada Deja Lucha por Candidatura Presidencial de ARENA" [Lawyer Luis Parada Quits Fighting for ARENA's Presidential Candidacy]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). 2 October 2017. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  11. "Luis Parada Pide ser Desafiliado del Partido ARENA" [Luis Parada Asks to be Disaffiliated with the ARENA Party]. La Página (in Spanish). 21 May 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  12. Magaña, Yolanda (31 May 2023). "Luis Parada Acepta ser Parte de la Fórmula Presidencial Propuesta por Sumar" [Luis Parada Accepts to be a Part of the Presidential Formula Proposed by Sumar]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  13. Mondragón, Lissette (31 May 2023). "Abogado Luis Parada Anuncia su Candidatura Presidencial" [Lawyer Luis Parada Announces His Presidential Candidacy]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 31 May 2023.
  14. Magaña, Yolanda (1 June 2023). "Luis Parada y Celia Medrano se Afiliaron a Nuestro Tiempo: Failer" [Luis Parada and Celia Medrano Affiliated with Nuestro Tiempo: Failer]. El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  15. Crespín, Verónica (15 July 2023). "Nuestro Tiempo Elige sus Candidatos Presidenciales, Legislativos y Municipales para 2024" [Nuestro Tiempo Elects Its Presidential, Legislative, and Municipal Candidates for 2024]. El Mundo. Retrieved 15 July 2023.
  16. Dimas, Andres; Palacios, Claudia; Salvador, Carlos; Quintanilla, Jaime; Valencia, Daniel (17 July 2023). "Parada, Flores, y Sánchez Lideran Tres Bloques con Poco Margen para Alianzas" [Parada, Flores, and Sánchez Lead Three Blocs with Little Margin for Alliances]. FOCOS TV (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2023.
  17. Villarroel, Gabriela (18 June 2023). ""Bukele me Preguntó si Podía Colaborar en su Gobierno": Luis Parada, Candidato Presidencial de NT" ["Bukele Asked Me if I Could Collaborate in His Government": Luis Parada, Presidential Candidate of NT]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  18. "Luis Parada: "El Aborto es una Decisión muy Personal que el Estado no debe Penalizar" [Luis Parada: "Abortion is a Very Personal Decision that the State Should Not Criminalize"]. Porttada (in Spanish). 19 July 2023. Retrieved 31 July 2023.
  19. Cabrera, Amadeo (26 July 2023). "Luis Parada, Candidato Presidencial de Nuestro Tiempo, Duda Sobre Mantener el Régimen de Excepción" [Luis Parada, Presidential Candidate of Nuestro Tiempo, Doubts Maintaining the Exception Regime]. Diario El Salvador (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 August 2023.
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