Nationalist Republican Alliance
The
Nationalist Republican Alliance (
Spanish:
Alianza Republicana Nacionalista or
ARENA) is a
conservative political party in
El Salvador. It was founded on
September 30,
1981 by
Roberto D'Aubuisson in order to oppose the reformist military junta that was ruling El Salvador at the time. Though D'Aubisson is best known for his suspected involvement in
death squad murders, as was the ARENA of his time, in the peaceful post-civil war environment the party functions with complete legitimacy as a normal right-wing party, in the same way that the leftist
Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), the former guerrilla group, known for conducting kidnappings and terrorist acts, is now the main opposition party in the country. The party is now generally considered to be the largest party in El Salvador, and has controlled the presidency continuously since 1989. Their winning streak is questionable since they have dominated the political scene in El Salvador since the 1980's.
President
Francisco Flores (
1999–
2004) was an
Arenero, as were his two predecessors,
Alfredo Cristiani and
Armando Calderón Sol.
At the
legislative elections, held on
March 16 2003, the party won 32.0% of the popular vote and 27 out of 84 seats in the
Legislative Assembly. ARENA's successful candidate in
El Salvador's 2004 presidential election was
Tony Saca. On
March 21 2004, Saca defeated
Schafik Handal, the candidate of the left-wing
Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, by a margin of 58% to 36% with 70% turnout. He was sworn in as president the following
June 1. In the
12 March 2006 legislative election, the party won 39.4% of the popular vote and 32 out of 84 seats.
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Official website
