Funes Disappoints the Left

Edgardo Ayala at Latinamerican Press has an overview of why Salvadorans are frustrated with President Mauricio Funes in El Salvador in his article on Funes veers from the left.

But two years later, the euphoria has worn off. Funes’ promises to improve the economy, issue policies that would create jobs and stem violence have fallen short...

And as Funes’ government was very careful about handling the business sector which always opposed structural changes that sought to benefit the majority, the president created more distance with what was once his base: labor unions and civil society organizations that had historically been left-leaning.

One major area of disagreement between Funes and the FMLN both before and during Funes candidacy involved economic policy and this disagreement was certain to continue following their 2009 victory.

Funes and the Friends of Mauricio coalition (a group outside the FMLN that helped him to get elected) were not anti-neoliberalism / anti-free market. In many ways, they believed that the free market did not exist in El Salvador as successive ARENA administrations privileged some businesses and sectors over others. They wanted to improve the neoliberal economic system and as well as increase spending on social programs so that more people could benefit from it.

Labor and civil society were not Funes' base. They were and are the FMLN's base. The FMLN as well as several unions and members of civil society are more interested in socialismo cuscatleco and that is not something the President Funes has shown any interest in pursuing.