Journalist leads former guerrilla army to first presidential victory in history of Salvadoran left
Mauricio Funes
Leftist FMLN Candidate Mauricio Funes Wins El Salvador Presidential Election
Democracy Now!
March 16, 2009
Leftist FMLN Candidate Mauricio Funes Wins El Salvador Presidential Election, Ending Two Decades of Conservative Rule
In El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, of the former rebel FMLN party, has won the country’s presidential election, ending two decades of conservative rule. Funes won 51 percent of the vote to 49 percent for Rodrigo Avila of the ruling right-wing ARENA party. Avila conceded defeat late Sunday. The FMLN was a coalition of rebel guerrillas who resisted the US-backed military government. More than 70,000 people died over an eighteen-year period, the overwhelming majority killed by military and paramilitary forces. [includes rush transcript]
Dandelion Salad 