News around El Salvador

Diario Co-Latino identified National Guardsman Sargeant Marino Samayoa Acosta as the individual who shot and killed Archbishop Oscar Romero. 

Tim summarizes a recent poll from Mitofsky from the Periódico News Millenium website that indicates 

• President Mauricio Funes has a 65% approval rating. While it's still a strong rating, it does show ongoing slippage from the early days of his administration. 
• Party preferences for the 2012 elections of mayors and the National Assembly show right wing ARENA and left wing FMLN each polling between 25 and 30%. No other party shows particular strength and most people are undecided. This has been the pattern in most recent elections.
• Salvadorans are equally divided on what to do with the case of the murder of the Jesuits. 43% say the case should be reopened and 41% say no.

ContraPunto seems to have a summary of the same poll, but the numbers are slightly different. Funes is at 68%. In terms of who Salvadorans intend to vote for in the upcoming congressional election, 27.8% say ARENA and 25.8% the Frente. ARENA has a slightly greater advantage in mayoral races with 29.4 support versus the FMLN's 25.2%. 

The drop in support for the FMLN shouldn't be surprising given that 8 out of 10 Salvadorans say that the security situation has worsened, 9 out of 10 that the economic situation has worsened, and 75% that the political situation has worsened. Given such a sour outlook on the economic, social, and political situation in the country, the numbers aren't all that bad for the FMLN. ARENA support has increased a few points and few seem inclined to support third party alternatives.    

President Funes recently announced that he intends to support legislation that will enable Salvadorans living abroad to vote in national elections.

El Salvador was recently added to the United States' list of "major" drug producing and transit countries. The US still recognizes El Salvador, however, as a "key partner in our efforts to ruin the threats from transnational criminal organizations and gangs."

While remittances picked up in August, extortion continues to reduce investment and economic growth.  

Finally, ARENA hearts Otto Perez Molina and the Patriotic Party.