EL SALVADOR: El Salvador's electoral authorities yesterday confirmed the first round presidential victory of Mr Elias Antonio Saca who secured 57 per cent of votes in Sunday's ballot, defeating his nearest rival Mr Schafik Handal, who won 36 per cent of votes cast.
Mr Saca, candidate for the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance (Arena) defeated Mr Handal, the former guerrilla and leader of the Farabundo Marti party (FMLN), ensuring Arena's fourth successive presidential triumph since 1989.
"The people have spoken," said Mr Saca, in his victory speech, "it is time to set aside bitterness and hate and ask God for guidance."
Fireworks spread colourful trails across the sky in the capital city as government supporters drove through the streets, waving flags in celebration.
Mr Saca promised to be "president of all Salvadorans", announcing a crackdown on crime and the launch of a presidential commission to assist Salvadorans living in the United States.
He reiterated support for the US-Central American free trade agreement and refused to restore diplomatic ties with Cuba.
He did not respond to a question about the withdrawal of Salvadoran troops from Iraq.
The end of the election campaign was marked by street disturbances but election day passed off peacefully as an unprecedented 60 per cent of voters turned up at the polls where voting boxes filled up to capacity, forcing officials to deposit excess votes in plastic bags.
Last week US government officials warned Salvadorans to think twice about voting for Mr Handal, a former communist party leader, an appeal which may have influenced the final outcome. One in four Salvadoran families survive on remittances sent home from relatives working in the US, where Republican legislator Mr Dan Burton recently threatened to withdraw work visas and deport 250,000 citizens should Mr Handal triumph.
Mr Otto Reich, the White House envoy for Latin America, gave a telephone interview last week to local reporters at Mr Saca's party headquarters in which he left no one in doubt as to which candidate enjoyed US backing. "We could not have the same confidence in an El Salvador led by a person who is an admirer of Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez," he said, referring to the leaders of Cuba and Venezuela.
Outgoing President Francisco Flores has been one of the closest US allies in the hemisphere, adopting the US dollar, sending troops to Iraq and publicly criticising the Cuban president.
Mr Saca (39), a former prominent sports commentator, owns his own radio station, giving him a powerful platform for his political ambitions.
The opposition FMLN holds the largest bloc in the 84-seat legislature and Mr Handal said that if Mr Saca governed as he campaigned "with fear and blackmail, the country is going to suffer and we will resist without pause".