Maximo Zaldivar serves as Regional Adviser for the Americas and Chief of Party in Guatemala. He has more than 15 years of experience in elections; political party and leadership development. Originally from El Salvador, he has led democracy and governance programs around the world, most recently in East Timor (Timor Leste). He has also served in Venezuela, Colombia and Southern Sudan, for the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Office for Transition Initiatives (OTI) funded programs. In Venezuela he worked from 2003 until 2007, interacting closely with political parties and civil society, as well as witnessing crucial electoral events in Venezuela’s Democratic History like the 2004 Recall Referendum and the 2006 Presidential Elections.

Previously, Zaldivar was International and Inter-parliamentary Relations Adviser, Chief of Staff Office at the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), the legislative arm of the Central American Integration System dedicated to cooperation among the countries of Central America. Prior to PARLACEN, he was Deputy Chief of Mission for the Diplomatic Foreign Service of El Salvador at the Salvadoran Embassy in Guatemala. 

Zaldivar has also served as Executive Director of the Union of Latin American Parties (UPLA), an organization which gathers more than 20 political parties from 18 countries around Latin America. His work at UPLA was fundamental for the later fusion and recognition of UPLA as the Latin America arm of the International Democrat Union (IDU).

Zaldivar holds a bachelor’s degree in political sciences and a master’s degree in human rights, both from the Rafael Landivar University (URL) in Guatemala.  He is fluent in English, Spanish, Portuguese and German.