Election in El Salvadors

Supporters watch the stage during a campaign-closing rally for Mauricio Funes, the presidential candidate of the FMLN party, in Soyapango, El Salvador, on March 11, 2009. Funes defeated Rodrigo Avila of the ARENA party (National Republican Alliance) in the country's March 15 presidential election.

Supporters cheer during a campaign-closing rally for Mauricio Funes, the presidential candidate of the FMLN party, in Soyapango, El Salvador, on March 11, 2009.

Presidential candidate Mauricio Funes takes the stage at his campaign-closing rally in Soyapango, El Salvador on March 11, 2009. Funes, from the FMLN party (Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front), is a former television journalist who has drawn comparisons between himself and Barack Obama. His election on March 15 reflects the recent trend of left-leaning governments in Latin America.