News stories by Raúl Gutiérrez

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.

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.

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.'

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.