First of all, the elections were far from being clean, according to what Ricardo Navarro, member of CESTA-Friends of the Earth El Salvador told Real World Radio, because the ARENA party (Alianza Republicana Nacionalista), used undocumented people and people from neighbouring countries in an attempt to forge a result in his favour. Nevertheless, the FMLN obtained over 50 per cent of the votes. “The Salvadoran people has demanded a change. We are starting a new era of our history. A left-wing party will govern El Salvador. Democracy is stronger. Intolerance is over. Long live democracy!” stated the President elect.

“Something new has been born, we are tired of these economic and political systems that try to benefit capital at the expense of environmental stability, nature and people”, stated Navarro from San Salvador. “If someone wanted to build a golf course in a protected area, the Parliament changed the law to make it possible. This is going to stop now”.

Analysing the result of the elections, Navarro said that the political change in El Salvador will not guarantee that some of the main political processes Central America is going through, such as the case of the Association or Free Trade Agreements under negotiation with the European Union, are going to change as well. “There needs to be a shift from a merely economic discussion, to a discussion that includes the survival of the human kind, such as the issue of climate change, which is linked to free trade agreements. With the victory of the left-wing party we see a light at the end of the tunnel, but of course, that light could be turned off. I would say that democracy is its infant stages here, and when the issue of association agreements arises we will have to struggle even with this left-wing government, made up by our long time friends, but which doesn´t guarantee they will support our proposals”.

In a song to the Salvadoran people, Venezuelan Ali Primera predicts that “there are no small birds that stop flying after taking off”. The result of these elections at least gives the impression that despite the unfavourable winds, this flight has started...