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Opposition FMLN Takes Lead in El Salvador
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The opposition Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) is El Salvador's most popular political party, according to a poll by Universidad Tecnológica. 30.4 per cent of respondents would vote for the left-wing FMLN in the next legislative election.
The ruling conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) is second with 28.2 per cent, followed by the National Conciliation Party (PCN) with 4.5 per cent.
Antonio Saca—a media businessman—was elected in March 2004 as the candidate for the ruling conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), garnering 57.73 per cent of the vote. ARENA candidates have won the last four presidential elections in the Central American country.
Voters in El Salvador renewed the Legislative Assembly in March 2006. ARENA secured 34 of the 84 seats at stake, followed by the FMLN with 32 legislators.
On May 23, Saca paid a surprise visit to Salvadoran soldiers fighting in Iraq. Following the meeting with the troops, the president declared: "I want to tell the Salvadoran people that morale was very high. (...) The troops are doing well; they miss their families, but are doing the work they have been assigned to do."
Saca is ineligible for a consecutive term in office. The legislative election has been tentatively scheduled for January 2009, with a presidential ballot following in March or April.
Polling Data
Which party would you vote for in the 2009 election?
Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) | 30.4% |
Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) | 28.2% |
National Conciliation Party (PCN) | 4.5% |
Source: Universidad Tecnológica
Methodology: Interviews with 2,117 Salvadoran adults, conducted from May 18 to May 20, 2007. Margin of error is 2.3 per cent.