By *Jay Hartling*

May 31, 2009 -- El Salvador -- On Monday, June 1, 2009 El Salvador will
turn a new page in its history with the inauguration of the country´s
first left government, joining the ranks of the majority of Latin
America. Representing the Farabundo Marti para la Liberacion Nacional
(FMLN, Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front) ), Mauricio Funes and
Salvador Sanchez Ceren, president and vice-president elect, will face a
national assembly in which the FMLN is outnumbered by more than 2:1. Out
of a total of 84 seats, the FMLN only have 35. This will make broad
sweeping changes difficult, but not impossible, and may force Funes to
use the power of the presidential veto as a bargaining chip. It is
important that those of us observing from a distance understand the
complicated environment within which the new government will be operating.

The new government represents a coalition of interests including the
FMLN and its national grassroots system of committees, and a broad
cross-section of civil society. More and more information is coming to
light that despite the glowing picture painted by the outgoing
right-wing ARENA party, the country is bankrupt -- the result of twenty
years of failed economic and social policies, and rampant corruption by
ARENA and its allies, the PDC and PCN. It is likely that the new
government will discover the depth of the corruption and mismanagement
after it assumes office.

To further complicate matters, the outgoing ARENA government has been
very busy over the last few weeks passing a number of laws and renewing
contracts for their allies and supporters to ensure their continued
control of the economy. The FMLN won on a platform of priorities created
by the people of El Salvador – through a lengthy, inclusive and thorough
popular consultation process. The priorities expressed by the people are
access to adequate food, medicine/healthcare, jobs, affordable energy
and security. The Funes-Sanchez Ceren government will have to be
creative in its approach to solving some of El Salvador's many problems,
most of which have been exacerbated over the last twenty years.

Full article at http://links.org.au/node/1075

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