Carlos Humberto Romero

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General Carlos Humberto Romero Mena (b. February 29, 1924 in Chalatenango) was the President of El Salvador from 1977 until 1979, when he was overthrown in a reformist coup d'état by dissident military officers and civilians. His rule was essentially a "de facto" military dictatorship in the style of his predecessors. Political unrest increased during the late 1970s due to the country's severe socioeconomic inequalities that had gone unaddressed by the government. Leftist guerrillas began to attack military targets, and other opponents of the regime called for reform. In response, death squads assassinated or tortured those fingered as "subversives", generally operating under impunity from the military.

The coup that toppled Humberto Romero marked the preamble of the country's chaotic 12-year civil war. Romero was a member of the National Conciliation Party. Civil war finally openly broke out after the March 1980 assassination of Archbishop Óscar Romero, a strident government critic (no relation).

Preceded by Arturo Armando Molina

President of El Salvador 1977–1979

Succeeded by Revolutionary Government Junta