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Conservative ARENA Favourite in El Salvador
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The governing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) is leading all other political parties in El Salvador, according to a poll by Consulta Mitofsky released by TCS. 28.2 per cent of respondents would vote for the ARENA candidate in the next presidential election.
The opposition Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) is second with 21 per cent, followed by the National Conciliation Party (PCN) with 3.8 per cent, the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) with 2.3 per cent, Democratic Change (CD) with one per cent, and the Democratic Revolutionary Front (FDR) with 0.7 per cent.
Antonio Saca—a media businessman—was elected in March 2004 as the candidate for ARENA, 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.
The next legislative election has been tentatively scheduled for January 2009, with a presidential ballot following in March or April.
On Aug. 26, Saca announced that ARENA will choose its next presidential nominee by holding a three-candidate internal nationwide primary. Saca urged his fellow party members to pay close attention to young voters, saying, "In 2009 there will be 400,000 new voters comparing to the last (legislative) election in 2006; young voters that we must attract so most of them vote for ARENA."
Television journalist Mauricio Funes has been mentioned as a possible presidential contender for the leftist FMLN.
Polling Data
Which of these parties would you vote for in the next presidential election?
|
Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) |
28.2% |
|
Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) |
21.0% |
|
National Conciliation Party (PCN) |
3.8% |
|
Christian Democratic Party (PDC) |
2.3% |
|
Democratic Change (CD) |
1.0% |
|
Democratic Revolutionary Front (FDR) |
0.7% |
Source: Consulta Mitofsky / TCS
Methodology: Face-to-face interviews with 1,200 Salvadoran adults, conducted from Aug. 17 to Aug. 20, 2007. Margin of error is 2.85 per cent.