(The following article is from the April 1-15, 2009, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

With files from Prensa Latina (Cuba), Morning Star (UK), and InterPress Service

After three decades of military and political struggle, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) won the March 15 presidential elections, paving the way for building a new El Salvador.

     In spite of right‑wing slanders, fraud and threats, FMLN presidential candidate Mauricio Funes managed to win with 51.32 percent of the votes. The Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (ARENA) candidate got 46.68 percent.

     In an interview with Prensa Latina, FMLN general coordinator Medardo Gonzalez described the process that led his party to the presidency.

     "The last stage in this process dates back to December 2006, when in a National Convention we launched a manifesto stating people were eagerly looking forward a new system, faced with the unbearable economic, political, and social situation they were going through. At that time, we called all who longed for a change to unite, and the party expressed its willingness to become that force; it was an important starting point for us," he recalled.

     "Picking the candidate was another important step, because we wanted other sectors beyond the FMLN to join the process. That process took a year, and ended in November 2007, when Funes was nominated," he added.

     The FMLN program stated among its priorities to face the current international crisis which is particularly hitting El Salvador for its dependency on the United States. El Salvador adopted the US dollar as its currency in 2001, and 80 percent of its exports go to the United States. Family remittances account for 19 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product, nearly one fifth of the national income.

     The economic crisis has already been reflected in the loss of jobs and in a drop in remittances sent home by the 2.5 million Salvadorans who live in the U.S. Some four billion dollars were sent to El Salvador last year. But in January, remittances dipped eight percent with respect to the same month in 2008.

     The new government aims to begin the way towards development with equity, to fulfill the peace agreements signed in 1992 and strengthen the role of the State. A new government also means changes in foreign policy and diversification of commercial and diplomatic relations with other countries.

     "It is vital for us to re‑establish relations with Cuba soon and give the corresponding level to the Venezuelan relations," Gonzalez declared.

     The FMLN general coordinator dedicated the victory to the historic leader of the organization, Schafik Handal, who died in 2006, and to all his comrades. "This victory also represents a great personal satisfaction and happiness for the people," he stressed. "We have done it and we will start fighting to build a New Salvador."

     Jubilant, red‑clad FMLN supporters poured into the streets of San Salvador after the vote was announced, singing, clapping, blowing whistles and waving large party flags as fireworks lit up the night sky.

     Addressing a victory rally, Funes said that "the time has come for the excluded, the opportunity has arrived for genuine democrats, for men and women who believe in social justice and solidarity."

     He vowed to boost public spending on education, health and poverty alleviation. And he gave notice to big‑business bosses who exploit government complacency to evade taxes, pledging to bring the full force of law to bear on them.

     The former freelance television reporter harnessed a wave of discontent with two decades of ARENA party rule that have brought economic growth along with growing social inequality. Fuel and food prices have soared, while powerful gangs extort businesses and fight for drug‑dealing turf, resulting in one of Latin America's highest murder rates.

     Funes faces major challenges as he prepares to take office on June 1. In his victory speech, he pledged to build a government of national unity because "the country belongs to all Salvadorans," but that he would put a priority on the poor, the victims of neoliberal free‑market policies followed by ARENA since 1989.

     Funes will also confront a state apparatus created by ARENA. From its very origins, El Salvador's small wealthy elite has used its dominant positions to monopolize the economy, resulting in opulence for a few but abysmal poverty for the majority of the population.

     ARENA candidate Rodrigo Avila, a former police chief, had warned that an FMLN victory would send El Salvador "down the communist path" and threaten the country's warm relations with the United States. He vowed to lead "a vigilant opposition that would ensure that the country does not lose its liberties."

     In a March 16 editorial, the ultra‑conservative El Diario de Hoy newspaper also called for "national unity." But during the election campaign, the newspaper had accused Funes of being "the candidate of the party of kidnappers and criminals."

     The FMLN was formed in 1980 as an umbrella group to unite progressive guerilla groups struggling against the US‑backed military regime and its notorious death squads. After signing the Chapultepec Peace Accords in 1992 which ended the bloody civil war, it became a legal political party.

     In January's legislative elections, the FMLN won 42.6 per cent of the vote and 35 seats, making it the largest party in parliament, though it does not have a governing majority.

     The president‑elect travelled to Brazil on March 19 to meet with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who congratulated Funes on his triumph and offered to help El Salvador in the fight against poverty.