Margarita Villalta de Sánchez

Rosa Margarita Villalta de Sánchez (born April 4, 1950) is a Salvadorean activist, politician and public figure. The wife of President Salvador Sánchez Cerén, she has served as the First Lady of El Salvador since June 1, 2014.[1]

Margarita Villalta de Sánchez
Margarita Villalta de Sánchez in 2014
First Lady of El Salvador
Assumed role 1 June 2014 – 1 June 2019
President	Salvador Sánchez Cerén
Preceded by	Vanda Pignato
Succeeded by	Gabriela Rodríguez de Bukele
Personal details
Born	(1950-04-04) April 4, 1950 Quezaltepeque, La Libertad Department, El Salvador
Political party	FMLN
Spouse(s)	Salvador Sánchez Cerén (m. 1968)
Children	Four

Villalta was born on April 4, 1950, in the city of Quezaltepeque, La Libertad Department, to Cristina Villalta and Marcos Morales.[1] In 1968, she married Salvador Sánchez Cerén, with whom she had four children.[1]

As the country's Second Lady, Villalta de Sánchez served as the coordinator of the Comisión de Acción Social (CAS), commission under the Vice President's office which developments programs for women and children in the country.[2]

Margarita Villalta de Sánchez became the First Lady of El Salvador on June 1, 2014, upon the inauguration of her husband, a former leftist rebel commander during the Salvadoran Civil War. On June 11, 2014, Margarita Villalta de Sánchez was sworn in as the Director of the Instituto Salvadoreño para el Desarrollo Integral de la Niñez y la Adolescencia (ISNA), a government organization which works with children and adolescents.[2] The head of 18 other government agencies and departments were also sworn in within the Salón de Honor Presidencial Óscar Arnulfo Romero at the Casa Presidencial.[2]

The President and First Lady announced that they would reside in their home during their tenures, rather than the Casa Presidencial, the official residence of the president. In July 2014, the couple converted the Casa Presidencial into a museum and arts center, featuring the works of 45 Salvadorean artists.[3][4]