The Obama of El Salvador
It seems the Republicans have lost another election. This time, it’s in El Salvador.

Days before the recent Salvadoran presidential elections, five Republican Congressmen gave speeches on the floor of the House of Representatives warning that an electoral victory by the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) would hurt the Salvadorans in the United States. They echoed George Bush’s warning in 2004 that an FMLN victory would damage relations with the United States.

“Those monies that are coming from here to there I am confident will be cut, and I hope the people of El Salvador are aware of that because it will have a tremendous impact on individuals and their economy,” stated Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN). Others mentioned it would dramatically impact immigration cases since the FMLN is/was a Marxist group.

Some Republicans treat El Salvador as the 51st state, but more in the sense of ownership rather than equality in the federal system.

Naturally, they are not happy with the outcome.

It appears the FMLN’s candidate, Mauricio Funes, is locked up to win the head position. It would end the two decades of conservative rule, which was enabled by American imperialism.

Since 1992, the FMLN has been a leftist political party, but was an umbrella revolutionary guerrilla movement before that. It has a long history of animosity with the United States. Funes appears far from a revolutionary, as he had sympathies developed over his time as a journalist covering the civil war (in which his brother perished). He was recruited as a candidate, and gave the party a prominent boost by agreeing.

He is being called a “moderate” in news reports, which usually is a bad sign. He has referred to social justice, but has not claimed to take any strong actions. “Nothing traumatizing is going to happen here,” Funes said in an interview with local Megavision television. “There will be no confiscation, we will not reverse any privatizations. We will not jeopardize private property. There is no reason at this moment for fear.”

Funes also pledged to keep the free trade agreement with the United States in tact. As a dependent satellite, the fear is its economy would be even further in ruins if it took dramatic steps.

El Salvador was like the Afghanistan of the Americas, torn apart by great power rivalries and interventions, leaving the country impoverished and perpetually de-stabilized by civil strife (12 years of war left 70,000 dead) and right-wing dictatorships.

Funes, a former TV Newsman, was leading the polls late Sunday night with 51.2 percent of the vote and more than 90 percent of the ballots counted.

El Salvador has been struggling with an economic crisis and a murder rate that is among the highest in the world. This election is significant in that it furthers the leftist political swing down south, what seems to be a stunning reversal after years of failed right-wing economic reforms. Or at least time will tell.

In response to an influx of calls and messages regarding the push by certain Republicans to sink the FMLN, the State Department released a statement of neutrality,

The US government reiterates its official position that it does not support either candidate in the upcoming presidential election in El Salvador on March 15th… The separation of powers and freedoms in the United States allows the debate in which members of the US Legislature have expressed their opinions, which do not necessarily reflect the official position of the United States.

Then again, we heard similar declarations after Hamas won the Palestinian parliamentary elections in 2005. Look where that got us.

The FMLN’s transition from a revolutionary fighting group to a participatory political party that can actually win a Presidential election, without state opposition, is a model the Arab world should aspire to.

In Egypt, the state oppressed the Muslim Brotherhood — which was never even a guerrilla force — despite its huge support. Egyptian relations with the West have been one reason for many tolerating it. In Lebanon, Hizbollah is yet to decide which way to go, and the looming threat of Israel’s military at the border gives power to the militant’s argument.

In short, in the Arab world, domestic politics are entirely skewed and structured by regional geo-politics.

Of course, there is another Palestine connection. The FMLN’s last candidate for President, in 2004, was long-time Communist leader Shakif Handal (pictured above), who is of Palestinian descent. He lost and since passed away. He was a hero to many, and villain to some.

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