Jaime Abdul Gutiérrez
Jaime Abdul Gutiérrez Avendaño (5 April 1936 – 9 August 2012) was Salvadoran military officer, statesman, and engineer. He served as the chairman of the Revolutionary Government Junta (JRG) in 1980 and as the vice president of the JRG from 1980 to 1982. He also served as the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of El Salvador (FAES) from 1980 to 1982.
Jaime Abdul Gutiérrez | |
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Gutiérrez in 1979 | |
| Chairman of the Revolutionary Government Junta | |
| In office 12 May 1980 – 13 December 1980 | |
| Preceded by | Adolfo Arnoldo Majano |
| Succeeded by | José Napoleón Duarte (as president of the JRG) |
| Vice President of the Revolutionary Government Junta | |
| In office 13 December 1980 – 2 May 1982 | |
| President | José Napoleón Duarte |
| Preceded by | Julio Ernesto Astacio (as vice president of El Salvador) |
| Succeeded by |
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| Member of the Revolutionary Government Junta | |
| In office 15 October 1979 – 2 May 1982 | |
| Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of El Salvador | |
| In office 12 May 1980 – 18 May 1982 | |
| Preceded by | Adolfo Arnoldo Majano |
| Succeeded by | Álvaro Magaña |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Jaime Abdul Gutiérrez Avendaño 5 April 1936 Sonsonate, El Salvador |
| Died | 9 August 2012 (aged 76) La Libertad, El Salvador |
| Resting place | Antiguo Cuscatlán, El Salvador 13°40′03″N 89°15′56″W |
| Alma mater | Captain General Gerardo Barrios Military School |
| Occupation | Military officer, engineer |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | El Salvador |
| Branch/service | Salvadoran Army |
| Years of service | 1954–1982 |
| Rank | General |
| Commands | Armed Forces of El Salvador |
| Battles/wars |
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Gutiérrez enrolled in the Captain General Gerardo Barrios Military School in 1954 and became an officer in the Salvadoran Army three years later. He took part in the Football War against Honduras in July 1969. Gutiérrez was one of the leaders of the 1979 Salvadoran coup d'état which overthrew President General Carlos Humberto Romero and ended 48 years of military dictatorship in El Salvador.
Gutiérrez became a member of the JRG which was established in the aftermath of the coup. He struggled for power and influence within the JRG with Colonel Adolfo Arnoldo Majano—the JRG's chairman and commander-in-chief of the armed forces—throughout 1979 and 1980. This power struggle ended with Gutiérrez succeeding Majano as chairman and commander-in-chief in May 1980 and Majano's ultimate removal from the JRG in December 1980. Gutiérrez was the only member of the JRG to serve throughout its entire existence from 1979 to 1982. His membership of the JRG spanned the early years of the Salvadoran Civil War.