A nation to watch in the coming years is El Salvador and its newly elected president Mauricio Funes. Funes and the left-wing Farabundo Marti Front for National Liberation party (FMLN) have struggled against oppressive right-wing governments for over two decades. This shift in power is sure to mark a turning point in the politics of El Salvador and much of Central America.

El Salvador’s election commission has publicized figures on the vote which put the FMLN at 51 per cent  against 49 per cent for the right-wing candidate. This shows a positive change from the roughly 40 per cent the FMLN usually receives.

Although the FMLN has previously won a majority of seats in parliament they have until now never formed government. The plurality of El Salvadorian political parties allow for coalitions to easily control the house.

Thousands of supporters have taken to the streets to welcome the president-elect to his new post. Traditional to leftist movements the globe supporters dressed in red and flooded San Salvador in celebration.

The new government has promised to bolster public education and health care. Also, poverty stricken areas are slated for relief and rebuilding. One of the major issues the president will face will be the nation’s many tax-evading corporate leaders. Funes has been adamant that under his rule, the law will no longer shy away from the corporate criminal.

Ongoing gang activity had plagued El Salvador through the decades of the previous government. Gangs from El Salvador operate as far north as Canada and south as Argentina, and often members are bred out of the regressive prison system. The new president will be hard-pressed to confront these gangs as they battle each other for turf.

The FMLN is no stranger to fighting. From 1970 until 1980 with its predecessor group the FPL, and then from 1980 until 1992 the FMLN has been a revolutionary guerilla army which has fought the violent military leaders of El Salvador. The FPL had been formed by Communist Party members who saw a necessity for armed struggle. When peace accords were signed in 1992 the FMLN became a political party with more support than any other political party in their nation.

However, currently there is some concern that former persons of power in the right-wing government have been vowing to disrupt the new FMLN government. Many leading officials have become quite wealthy through corrupt business dealings during the past administration.

Relations with the United States may also undergo some changes due to the new leadership. Though the George W. Bush administration had made it clear that any shift to the left would hurt relations, the Barak Obama administration has pledged to work with Mr. Funes.

In any respect the new government will bring a boon to education in El Salvador. Much of the exploited working class received only third-rate education under the former leaders, however with new ideas and new policies helping to pave the way to more universal education, students and workers of the nation may find themselves excelling at a similar academic rate to their Cuban and Venezuelan neighbors.