Mauricio Funes Wins El Salvador Election In A First For Leftist Ex-Rebels

washingtonpost.com:

MIAMI, March 16 -- Mauricio Funes, a former TV newsman who was recruited to run for president, declared himself the winner of El Salvador's presidential contest Sunday night, bringing into power a leftist party built by former guerrillas and ending two decades of conservative rule.

Read the whole story: washingtonpost.com

Comments

[Obiemad]

Clearly this is another page in Latin America's unfolding rebellion against 30 years of neo-liberal policies that exploited the region's labor and natural resources without any tangible benefits to the poor. Contrary to the easy suggestion that this revolution is Chavez-sponsored, it is grassroots.

[Obiemad]

Chavez's influence is spread. Or is it Russian influence?

[JohnTalbutt]

Why is the participation of Evangelicals emphasized? One should not conflate religous movements in other countries with the reactionary fundamentalists that besmirch U.S. politics.

This is a very significant victory for democracy

[Bitsko]

Many fundamentalists backed Ortega in Nicaraqua too. Hope this doesn't auger the same despotism.

[sticksnstones]

Define " fundamentalists " for us, please. And specifically describe how Ortega is a despot in light of the fact that he is a democratically elected head of state.

[AliMB]

Mr. Ortega flagrantly robbed the municipal elections this past November; it was such an unsophisticated r0bbery that it was actually quite comical. For example, in some polling stations the FSLN received 100% of the votes, meaning that the opposition observers were so swayed by the elegancy of Mr. Ortega that they decided to vote for the other party at the last minute. In other cases, the votes quite literally disappeared. This r0bbery was expected given that the FSLN refused to allow the entrance of international observors. Every country in the world (save for the ide0logical p a r i a h s such as Venezuela, Cuba, et al.) recognizes this t h e f t and have frozen international cooperation to the Nicaraguan Government.

This is important because Nicaragua (the second poorest country in the region) has a budget that is dependent on international assistance. The US for its part has given Nicaragua a deadline to resolve this robbery or risk a permanent cut-off of funds from the MCC (an excellent development program implemented by the Bush Administration).

[AliMB]

That is my fear as well; the FMLN is actually more r a d i c a l than the FSLN ever was in terms of ideological purity. Mr. Funes is certainly a moderate in comparison to some of the party veterans, but the worry is that the powerbrokers who will be pulling the strings will be from the old leftwing vanguard. Mr. Funes almost cost himself the election by selecting Salvador Sanchez Ceren, an old Marxist guerilla commander, as his Vice Presidential running mate, opening himself up to the criticism that he was another Hugo Chavez in disguise.

Likely tempering Funes will be his need to have good relations with the Washington; El Salvador is very much dependent on positive US policies, from immigration to fiscal issues. The ARENA opposition will also be very strong and well-organized (and thru a coalition they control the legislature),

[datone]

In El Salvador, as in any other country which is now considered left leaning, education should be put at the forefront along with health care. You cannot rule with a 4th grade education as most dirst poor Salvadoreans have. These folks cannot read or write, much less rule. And the so called left higher ups are not much more educated. Matter of factly a high school education is the exception not the rule. Unless Funes rules like Fidel or Sadaam the right will be back in power in six years as it should be.

[RandVictims]

You're right, the Leftists are uneducated and not capable of ruling.

"I'm Sarah Palin, now give me those Launch Codes!"

[sticksnstones]

It appears, as evidenced by your comments, that you are the entity in dire need of an education.

[datone]

Go back to school and take basic Political Science. It may help you in trying to argue a point at an intellectual level which you obviously do not have at this point.

[Perla]

Haven't spent any time there, have you? You're sadly misinformed. This is a time to celebrate a significant achievement after decades of courageous and intelligent struggle by Salvadorans, but you want to think the victors are incapable of self-rule. Study their history to learn otherwise.

Sure, education should be a focus for the new government there, as it is for ours--because access to it can be improved upon, not because there are no greatly educated people. Furthermore, those Salvadorans who have had to get by without an academic education--while living under the neoliberal boot--understand more about structural adjustment programs than most U.S. college students and grads.

[AliMB]

I've traveled several times to El Salvador and know the region quite well. In regards to your comment:

It is "time to celebrate" in the sense that the Salvadoran people had a successful free and fair election. However, if you consider the FMLN Marxist struggles over the past decades as an "intelligent" struggle you are quite mistaken (their struggle was an abysmal failure).

Your comments vis-à-vis "neoliberalism" and "structural adjustments" are a gross misinterpretation of what this election signifies. It was a rejection of years of ARENA corruption and misrule; not an adoption of leftist principles. Voters (and only by a slim margin) wanted to give another party a chance after poor economic results. Salvadorans are very much pro-American (remember the issue of remittances), and if not for the fact that Mr. Funes openly declared himself a moderate who would remain an ally of the US, his chances of victory would have been rendered to nil. In fact, since the municipal elections in January, Funes' lead in polls was reduced dramatically by an organized ARENA effort to portray him as a 'Bolivarian' Chavez in disguise

If Funes governs as a moderate left individual (ala Lula in Brazil), he and the FMLN have a chance to remain in power for a while. But if he attempts to implement "structural adjustments" (an ambiguous term), the Right will be back in power in no time (especially considering that ARENA is one of the best organized political parties in Central America).

[datone]

Perla, and how does that qualify them to rule? For the record, although I have lived here since 1960, I grew up in El Salvador and attended the American School there prior to returning to my native California and earning a Doctorate in Economics from UC Berkeley. What are your credentials?

[RandVictims]

Latin America had a 30 year taste of Neoliberalism (global free-trade based on abuse and exploitation of labor and natural resources) and they resoundly rejected it and this is clearly evident in their wide-spread shift to populist, socialist leaders. This is not the result of a handful of "rebels" or sideways, bait-n-switch politics (as in the U.S.), this is a loud and clear statement from the masses that they've had enough of Friedman/Reagan capitalism and they are doing something about it.

This is not only great news for them, it is great news for us because this is even more proof that the world is rejecting Supply Side rule and these "race to the bottom" trade deals that nearly collapsed our own economy and, as long as there is Democracy and information, we can choose NOT to be slaves to bankers.

I consider this to be very good news, screw the WSJ and the rest of the banker establishment.

[Babysnake]

Anything that hits back at USA efforts to destabilize and enslave other nations is good.