Politics Changing in El Salvador
I guess “leftist” is alright again in America. Not so long ago, charges of leftist politics conjured up vague notions of Soviet battleships anchored in American ports. Leftist meant Marxist, which means communism, which communists call socialism. Now socialist governments are the ones that bailout bankers who get caught with their pants down as the bottom drops out of the free market.
By all indications the new President-elect of El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, will emphasize public services more than his predecessors, while maintaining a consistent foreign policy. “This is not the time for revenge. This is time for political understanding,” Mr. Funes announced. “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.”
President-elect Funes, of the FLMN, recently won a close election against Rodrigo Avila of ARENA. The FLMN includes many Salvadorans who fought against the United States and its allies in the 1980s. ARENA has controlled the government since the cease fire of 1992.
Mr. Funes has a number of reasons to favor positive relations with the United States. Dollars are the official currency in El Salvador, which has seen an influx of investment from the US. El Salvador and the United States are both members of the Central American Free Trade Agreement. The many Salvadorans living in the US have a keen interest in the politics of their homeland, and turmoil is bad for business.
It is encouraging to see a peaceful transition of power from one political party to another in El Salvador. If Mr. Funes and his FLMN allies can deliver on their positive agenda, Salvadoran voters will probably elect to keep them in charge.
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