2009-03-16 11:58:35  

    SAN SALVADOR, March 15 (Xinhua) --

Left-wing opposition candidate Mauricio Funes won El Salvador's presidential election on Sunday, figures released by the country's election commission showed.

    Funes of the Farabundo Marti Front for the National Liberation Party (FMLN) garnered 51.27 percent of the vote against 48.73 percent for Rodrigo Avila of the ruling conservative ARENA party, according to the figures.

    Funes, born in 1959 and one of the most influential media workers in El Salvador, has promised to push reform in education, health and to fight poverty in the country.

    As one of the two major political parties in El Salvador, the FMLN participated in the country's presidential elections in 1994,1999 and 2004.

    The FMLN, a former guerrilla organization, became a legal political party in 1992.

    More than 4.22 million people registered for Sunday's election, accounting for some 63 percent of the country's population.

    Four candidates were competing for the presidency, with Avila and Funes seen as the two main contenders.

Early result: Opposition leads in Salvador's presidential election

2009-03-16 11:20:10  

    SAN SALVADOR, March 15 (Xinhua) --

Left-wing opposition candidate Mauricio Funes took an early slight lead over his main contender from the ruling party in the just-ended presidential voting in Salvador, local media said on Sunday.

    Mauricio Funes, from the left-wing opposition party Farabundo Marti Front for the National Liberation (FMLN), was leading with some 51.61 percent of the votes, against about 48.38 percent for Rodrigo Avila of the ruling conservative Arena party, after about 72 percent of votes had been counted, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal said.

    Polls stations in the 14 provinces across the country closed at 5 p.m. (2300 GMT) after 10 hours of casting ballots that started at 7 a.m. (1300 GMT).

    More than 4.22 million people have registered for the elections. The local media said the turnout was at 37.7 percent at the midday.

    Four candidates are competing for the presidency. Rodrigo Avila and Mauricio Funes were seen as main contenders, according to the latest opinion poll released by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.

    Avila, who was born in 1964 in San Salvador, promised to improve public security.

    Funes, born in 1959, is one of the most influential media workers in El Salvador. He promised to push reform in education, health and to fight poverty in the country.

Editor: Xiong Tong

OAS recognizes El Salvador's election orderly held

 2009-03-16 08:33:10  

    SAN SALVADOR, March 15 (Xinhua) --

Observers from the Organization of American States (OAS) recognized on Sunday that the presidential elections in El Salvador were being held orderly.

    The OAS endorsed the 461 voting centers in all the country, but it said that it has received some complaint that Honduran people voted in Torola, Morazan, east of El Salvador.

    Chief of OAS observers delegations, Gustavo Fernandez said on Sunday that in average the 9,523 reception boards began working around 6:57 local time (1257 GMT) and 99 percent of them received on time the electoral materials.

    Presidential elections in El Salvador were held with short difference between the candidate from the ruling Nationalist Republic Alliance party (ARENA) Rodrigo Avila and the left wing candidate from former guerilla Farabundo Marti Front of National Liberation (FMLN) Mauricio Funes.

    Eight hours after the voting centers were opened, the OAS reported that some people still continued political propaganda, despite campaigns ended on Wednesday.

    The voting centers closed at 17:00 local time (2300 GMT) and it is expected that president from the Electoral Supreme Tribunal, Walter Araujo, will give the first results of the elections at 19:30 local time (0130 GMT Monday).

Editor: Xiong Tong

Profile: El Salvador's two leading presidential candidates

 2009-03-15 14:32:49  

    SAN SALVADOR, March 15 (Xinhua) --

El Salvador will hold presidential elections on Sunday. Following are profiles of the two leading presidential candidates.

    -- Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena, candidate from the left-wing opposition party Farabundo Marti Front for the National Liberation (FMLN), is one of the most influential media personnel in El Salvador.

    He promised to push reform in education, health and to fight poverty in the country.

    Funes was born on Oct.18, 1959 in San Salvador, El Salvador. Funes studied literature at the Central American university "Jose Simeon Canas" (UCA).

    He gained immense popularity after working as a journalist for more than 20 years. He left his successful journalistic career to enter politics and elevated FMLN, a former guerrilla group, to power.

    Between 1986 and 1991, he worked for different TV channels, later he worked for the UCA to launch an audiovisual center. He returned to TV channel Canal 12 as news director in 1997. In 2001 he served as correspondent for CNN's Spanish service till to September 2007, when he was nominated as presidential candidate of FMLN.

    In 1994 he was awarded the Maria Moors Cabot Prize from Columbia University.

    Funes is married and has three sons.

    -- Rodrigo Avila Avilez, candidate from the ruling right wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), promised to improve public security.

    Alvila was born on June 25, 1964 in San Salvador, El Salvador.

    He graduated with an engineering degree in Industrial Engineering from North Carolina State University in U.S. 1988. During his college years, he took some courses in the National Academy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States.

    Before entering politics, Avila served as an executive in national and multinational companies.

    He joined ARENA in 1981 and began his political career in 1993.Avila was sub-director of the Civil National Police (PNC) from 1993 to 1994 and then director of the PNC till 1999, again for a second term in 2006. He was also deputy of the Legislative Assembly between 2000 and 2003 and public security vice minister from 2004 to 2006.

    On March 15, 2008, Avila was elected by ARENA as a presidential candidate in the March 2009 presidential election. Upon his nomination, He also became the president of ARENA.

    Avila is married and has a five-year-old daughter.

Editor: Yao