Former Salvadoran President Tony Saca Hoping To Wedge His Way Back Into Power

Ex-President Antonio “Tony” Saca (Wikipedia)

Ex-President Antonio Saca (2004-2009) has maneuvered his way back into political relevancy as head of a new “movement” bent on breaking the duopoly of El Salvador’s primary parties.

During a rally held Feb. 25 in San Salvador, Saca announced plans to represent the nascent Movimiento Unidad in next February’s presidential election, when he will test his luck against popular San Salvador Mayor Norman Quijano of the far-right Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (ARENA) and current Vice-President Salvador Sánchez Cerén of the left-wing Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN). Quijano, who enjoys an early lead in the polls, and Sánchez Cerén, were selected to represent their respective parties late last year.

World Court Rules On Nicaragua/Colombia Sea-Border Row

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Ortega’s Sandinistas Earn Crushing Victory In Nationwide Municipal Elections

President Daniel Ortega’s Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional (FSLN) mauled the reeling opposition in nationwide municipal elections held earlier this month, leading Nicaragua closer toward one-party state status with wins in more than 80% of the country’s towns and cities.

Chile’s Governing Coalition Stumbles In Municipal Elections

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El Salvador’s Principal Parties Quick To Pick Their Presidential Candidates

El Salvador’s two principal political parties – the rightist Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (ARENA) and left-wing Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN) – have decided to show their cards early, naming their respective candidates more than a year and a half before the next presidential election.

El Salvador Settles Convoluted Constitutional Crisis

Three months and seventeen rounds of negotiations later, things are finally back to “normal” in El Salvador, where a disagreement over high court judge appointments triggered a drawn-out and debilitating showdown between the legislature and judiciary.

Obama Administration Threatens Nicaragua’s Ortega With Soft “Sanctions”

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Ortega Muscles Through A Makeover Of Nicaragua’s Election Rules

(Photo credit: welshkaren/flickr)

Nicaragua’s Sandinista-controlled Asamblea Nacional (AN) has rubberstamped a series of electoral and municipal reforms that President Daniel Ortega and his allies say will “consolidate and strengthen direct democracy” and protect future elections from the types of fraud and tampering allegations that have plagued past contests.

Chile’s Unpopular President Apologizes In Penultimate State Of the Nation Address

President Piñera delivers his next-to-last May 21 address (congresochile/flickr)

President Sebastián Piñera had at least on thing going for him during last month’s state of the nation address: silence. Unlike in 2011, when hecklers interrupted him on several occasions, attendees for this year’s May 21 speech – an annual tradition in Chile – kept their mouths shut, giving the former businessman ample opportunity to sell the public on the merits of his two-and-a-half-year-old government.