El Salvador

A former CNN journalist could lead a leftist party of former Cold War Marxist guerrillas to power for the first time in El Salvador’s presidential election next year, opinion polls show. Recent surveys give ex-TV reporter and Salvadoran talk show host Mauricio Funes a lead of up to 20 points over ruling party candidate Rodrigo Avila, El Salvador’s former police chief. The left has never won an election in El Salvador, and picking a moderate candidate for the March 2009 vote reflects a determination by the FMLN to shake off its Marxist roots. (Reuters)