El Salvador chooses ex-Marxist party

Voters in El Salvador have turned their backs on the conservatives who have run the country for nearly two decades. The party of the former marxist rebels – the FMLN – have finally won the power for the first time since the end of a vicious civil war 17 years ago. But it was a tight result.

The new president elect, Mauricio Funes, has promised to tackle tax-evasion among big-business. He says he is a moderate left-winger who will maintain the country’s close ties with Washington. The losing candidate, Rodrigo Avila, said his conservative party would ensure that El Salvador would not become an authoritarian state under the FMLN, warning that the new regime would try to take the country towards communism. He said the new government would threaten El Salvador’s warm relations with the United States.More about: El Salvador

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