Stories written by Raúl Gutiérrez

CENTRAL AMERICA: Shades of Coups Past – And Yet to Come?

If the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti remains in power in Honduras, the Central American right may be encouraged to stage further coups against the fragile democracies that have emerged in the region over the last two decades, analysts warn.

EL SALVADOR: Leftist Govt Clamps Down on Corruption

Serious allegations of corruption involving central figures in the government of right-wing former Salvadoran president Antonio Saca (2004-2009) will be investigated by a commission led by Finance Minister Carlos Cáceres.

EL SALVADOR: New President Promises to Beat Poverty

At his inaugural ceremony Monday, the first-ever leftwing president of El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, said his main goal was to "beat poverty, political backwardness, the marginalisation of broad sections of society, desperation, and the lack of future prospects for our young people."

EL SALVADOR: Funes to Take Over Country in Deep Crisis

President-elect Mauricio Funes of El Salvador is about to take over a country in recession, with an expanding budget deficit, growing unemployment, and soaring poverty rate.

RIGHTS: Campaign Against School of the Americas Lobbies El Salvador

Representatives of School of the Americas Watch visited El Salvador to ask the incoming government of the leftwing FMLN, which will take office in June, to stop sending military officers to the U.S. army academy, which has long been accused of teaching torture techniques.

CENTRAL AMERICA: Protect the Most Vulnerable, ECLAC Says

The global economic crisis has had a severe impact on Central America and the Dominican Republic, and unemployment and poverty will increase significantly, according to a new study by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).

 Credit: FMLN

EL SALVADOR: Crisis, Poverty Huge Challenges for Leftist President

The main challenges faced by El Salvador's leftwing president-elect Mauricio Funes are forging understandings with other political sectors, adopting measures to deal with the economic crisis, and especially its effects on the poor, and strengthening the country's institutions, say analysts.

EL SALVADOR: Elections Mark Shift to the Left

Salvadoran president-elect Mauricio Funes of the leftist insurgency-turned-political party FMLN promised to build an "inclusive" government, with a view to bringing about reconciliation in Salvadoran society and creating a "future of progress" for all Salvadorans.

EL SALVADOR: Left Is Clear Favourite, But Die Not Yet Cast

The campaign for next Sunday's presidential elections in El Salvador wrapped up at midnight Wednesday, muddied by complaints of irregularities and fear mongering propaganda that could influence the outcome.

EL SALVADOR: ‘Many Swapped Farming for (Shrinking) Remittances’

The global economic crisis has begun to be felt in this Salvadoran town on the Pacific coast, where remittances sent home by family members working in the United States have begun to shrink.

Partial view of La Montañona. Credit: Mancomunidad de la Montañona.

EL SALVADOR: Guerrilla Ecotourism

La Montañona, a forested mountain in northern El Salvador that reaches 1,800 metres above sea level, was a stronghold of the FMLN guerrillas during the country's armed conflict. Today, its forests and stories of bombings and rebel hideouts have begun to draw ecotourism.

Rafael Roncagliolo Credit: Eric Lemus/IPS

Q&A: “Campaign of Fear Is Atrocious” Ahead of Salvadoran Vote

"I would not say that the media in Latin America contribute to fomenting civic culture, overall. They generally head in the opposite direction," says Rafael Roncagliolo, a Peruvian sociologist, journalist and election consultant.

EL SALVADOR: Left on Track to Win Elections

The leftist FMLN is the front-runner in the polls for Sunday's parliamentary and municipal elections in El Salvador, and analysts say a victory would boost its chances of winning the Mar. 15 presidential elections.

EL SALVADOR: Central America’s Leader in Cell Phone Use

By the end of 2008, El Salvador had the largest number of cell phones per person in Central America, with 6.6 million for a population of 5.8 million.

EL SALVADOR: Spanish Judge to Investigate Murders of Jesuit Priests

A Spanish judge's decision to investigate 14 Salvadoran military officers for the 1989 killings of six Jesuit priests in El Salvador is a "sign of hope against impunity," according to lawyers and activists.

RIGHTS-EL SALVADOR: Impunity Defies Inter-American Court

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights ordered the Salvadoran state to fully comply with its sentence in the case of the murder of businessman Mauricio García Prieto, and to put an end to threats and harassment of the victim's parents by government agents.



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