(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The presidential campaign of Mauricio Funes is losing momentum in El Salvador, according to a poll by LPG Datos published in La Prensa Gráfica. 29.2 per cent of respondents would vote for the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) candidate in the 2009 ballot, down 1.9 points since July.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – The presidential campaign of Mauricio Funes is losing momentum in El Salvador, according to a poll by LPG Datos published in La Prensa Gráfica. 29.2 per cent of respondents would vote for the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) candidate in the 2009 ballot, down 1.9 points since July.
Rodrigo Ávila of the governing conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) is second with 26.1 per cent, followed by Tomás Chévez of the National Conciliation Party (PCN) with 1.9 per cent. 42.8 per cent of respondents would vote for other candidates, or remain undecided.
ARENA’s Antonio Saca, a media businessman, was elected in March 2004, garnering 57.73 per cent of the vote. ARENA candidates have won the last four presidential elections in the Central American country. Saca is ineligible for a consecutive term in office.
In September 2007, Funes became the FMLN’s presidential nominee. In March 2008, Ávila, a former National Police chief, won ARENA’s three-candidate internal nationwide primary.
The FMLN was once an umbrella armed group of left-wing revolutionaries fighting against the Salvadoran establishment. In the early 1990s, the FMLN was disbanded and became a legal political party.
Last month, Funes vowed to restore relations with Cuba if elected, saying, "We are going to open diplomatic relations with our Cuban brothers and their government." El Salvador severed ties with the island after the Cuban revolution in 1959.
The next legislative election is scheduled for Jan. 18, 2009, with a presidential ballot following on Mar. 15.
Polling Data
Which of these candidates would you vote for in the next presidential election?
|
Sept. 2008 |
Jul. 2008 |
Jun. 2008 |
|
|
Mauricio Funes (FMLN) |
29.2% |
31.1% |
28.4% |
|
Rodrigo Ávila (ARENA) |
26.1% |
24.8% |
22.1% |
|
Tomás Chévez (PCN) |
1.9% |
– |
– |
|
Other / Undecided |
42.8% |
44.1% |
49.5% |
Source: LPG Datos / La Prensa Gráfica
Methodology: Interviews with 1,500 Salvadoran adults, conducted from Aug. 30 to Sept. 2, 2008. Margin of error is 2.6 per cent.
