In 1980, José Napoleón Duarte became El Salvador’s first civilian president in almost five decades. In 1989, a period of dominance by the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) began. The party has elected the last four heads of state: Alfredo Cristiani, Armando Calderón Sol, Francisco Flores and Antonio Saca.

Saca—a media businessman—won the March 2004 ballot with 57.73 per cent of the vote, defeating the FMLN’s Schafik Handal.

Click here for El Salvador 2004 Presidential Election Tracker 

Following El Salvador’s civil war, several gangs or "maras" spawned in several parts of the country. The Mara Salvatrucha and the 18th Street Gang originated in California, where many Salvadoran refugees lived. The two warring factions are still battling in El Salvador.

In 2004, Saca introduced a crackdown on gang activity, which included the deployment of more than 1,000 soldiers to assist police officers in arresting mob leaders. El Salvador’s prison population has more than doubled since. Around 40 per cent of all current prisoners once belonged to street gangs.

In the March 2003 election, the FMLN garnered 34 per cent of all cast ballots and elected 31 lawmakers to the Legislative Assembly. The conservative ARENA was second with 32 per cent and 27 legislators.

On Jan. 24, 2006, FMLN leader Schafik Handal passed away. Handal was expected to lead the leftist political organization into a legislative ballot in March that year. Salvador Sánchez Cerén replaced Handal as party leader.

In March 2006, the Central American Free Trade Agreement with the United Sates (CAFTA) came into force in El Salvador.

The March legislative ballot gave ARENA 34 seats, the FMLN 32 seats, the National Conciliation Party (PCN) 10, the Christian Democratic Party (PDC) six, and Democratic Change (CD) two. Seats. Voter turnout was tabled at 52.56 per cent.

Click Here for El Salvador’s 2006 Legislative Assembly Election Tracker

On Mar. 21, president Saca proposed "holding one election every five years," adding, "We can’t have ballots that wear down, cost money and throw the country into uncertainty every 20 months." The president has proposed having the presidential and legislative elections on the same date, which would require a constitutional amendment to extend the terms of lawmakers.

These proposed reforms have not come into place yet. El Salvador will hold a legislative election in January 2009, and a presidential election two months later.

2009 Legislative and Presidential Elections

Mauricio Funes, a former broadcast journalist, is the candidate for the opposition, left-leaning Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN). He was nominated by the party in September 2007.

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.

In February, during an election rally, Funes said he was thrilled to participate in the presidential race, saying, "I feel really excited. No bad government can last for twenty years and no people can stand it. This government is on its way out."

On Mar. 15, the governing, conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) held an internal primary ballot to choose its presidential candidate. Incumbent Antonio Saca is ineligible for a consecutive term in office.

Former National Police chief Rodrigo Ávila, current vice-president Ana Vilma de Escobar and former presidential advisor Luis Mario Rodríguez contested ARENA’s nomination. Final results gave Ávila the title.

On Mar. 17, Ávila commented on his priorities for the party, saying, "I want a more inclusive right; I’m talking about a more just country, about progress, about equality with freedom and responsibility, about sharing prosperity. It is time ARENA takes those steps without any fear."

On Apr. 20, Funes renewed previous calls for creating a coalition against ARENA with the support of Democratic Change (CD) and the Revolutionary Democratic Front (FDR), saying, "The negotiations were never closed by us. The two parties retired briefly to attempt to create a third force, and they didn’t, so let’s talk."

On May 8, Funes said he is worried about people in El Salvador still thinking of the FMLN as a radical Marxist organization, declaring, "The main challenge we face is convincing the public, especially the undecided, that my presence isn’t just a formality, that I haven’t merely arrived to apply varnish on the image of the FMLN. (...) We must convince the public that the party has moderated."

On Jun. 9, Ávila said he will improve relations with the United States and seek more temporary work permits for Salvadorans in both the U.S. and Canada if elected, adding, "We are allies of the U.S. We believe that the proximity of ARENA with the American government has helped out brothers."

On Jun. 26, Funes talked about his intention to bring his party to the centre of the political spectrum, saying, "El Salvador needs a democratic, realistic and responsible left."

In July, president Saca discussed his views on the FMLN, saying, "If it flies like a duck, swims like a duck, and eats like a duck, it’s a duck. The FMLN is a communist party."

On Jul. 31, Funes met with Dominican Republic president Leonel Fernández in Santo Domingo. Funes explained after the reunion that, "These meetings have been held with the objective of opening El Salvador to the world, to generate deep ties with democratic nations that work for the well-being of their populations."

On Jul. 28, during an election rally, Funes declared: "Nothing and nobody will take the presidency away from me. (...) They [ARENA] have nothing left to say or to make up, and that is why they are desperate; because my hand will not tremble in fighting corruption."

Just a few days later, on Aug 9, Funes said he is worried that ARENA may keep control of the National Assembly after the legislative ballot, saying that if he becomes president he will have to deal with lawmakers seeking to "get back" at him from the legislature and a party that will want to "block every initiative put forward by us."

On Aug. 20, Ávila publicly accused Funes of "stealing" components of his platform. His campaign’s vice-president, César Funes (no relation to FMLN candidate Funes) later said that Ávila will not fight Funes for that, adding, "In the end I think that when the competition imitates and copies you, it is the greatest form of flattery."

In late August, 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.

On Sept. 1, Tomás Chévez was anointed as the presidential candidate for the National Conciliation Party (PCN). Chévez is a pastor in the powerful ELIM Christian church. His bid is backed by the Foundation for the Union of Salvadoran Christian Churches (UNICSAL). The candidate said that his platform will seek to "re-establish a real legal state that guarantees the safety of the judicial system and the citizens through energetic and correct law enforcement."

On Oct. 9, Funes dismissed critics who suggest that he would align his policies with those of left-wing Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez if elected, saying, "The fact that we have good relations with Venezuela doesn’t mean that we breathe through Venezuela’s nose or through Hugo Chávez’s nose."

By mid-October, every voting-intention poll conducted in El Salvador has shown Funes in the lead and Ávila in second place.

On Oct. 21, Ávila discussed his economic policies, saying, “In a time of crisis, certain basic mechanisms can be utilized to prevent abuses. However, this does not entail that the government should control prices.”

On Oct. 26, Funes rejected assertions that he would have a more distant relationship with Washington than other recent Salvadoran heads of state, saying, “I will work hand in hand with the president of the United States who ends up being elected, because our ties are from government to government. (...) We definitely need to solve the situation of our undocumented compatriots in the U.S.”

On Oct. 29, the government announced that Saca would call for measures to enact mandatory and free secondary education. Saca said he would “propose to my Ibero-American colleagues that this measure become a joint commitment in all Spanish-speaking and Portuguese-speaking nations.”

On Nov. 28, Ávila pledged to increase salaries if elected, saying, “I believe that, even though we may have to implement belt-tightening measures, we need to adjust the minimum wage.”

Also on Nov. 28, Funes accused his opponent of fear-mongering, declaring, “Salvadorans should not be afraid. Youngsters should not be the victims of fear. Education will prevail over fear and lies.”

On Dec. 4, following a meeting with Mexican telecommunications tycoon Carlos Slim, Funes said that he reasserted to Mr. Slim that “in our government plan, there is nothing that could jeopardize foreign investment [in El Salvador]—quite the contrary.”

On Dec. 11, Funes announced he would travel to Washington to meet with Thomas Shannon, assistant U.S. state secretary for western hemisphere affairs. The FMLN candidate explained that he will discuss “how bilateral relations will be between the government of [U.S. president-elect] Barack Obama and possibly an FMLN administration led by me.” Funes added that he is interested in expressing his view over immigration issues, adding, “It is a point that I will raise not only to him but with Salvadoran community leaders in Washington.”

On Dec. 14, Ávila discussed his political views, saying, “My government will have as its main priorities the defence of freedom and the protection of the dignity of people since conception, along with four core values: God, homeland, family and work.”

On Dec. 22, Funes vowed to re-establish the Institute for Regulating Supplies (IRA)—which provided goods such as grains, canned meat and sugar at a low cost—saying, “We need to take ARENA out of the government, because they are the ones who did away with the IRA. (...) We cannot keep paying high prices for food.”