SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador -- The first leftist president-elect in El Salvador since the end of the 1980-1992 civil war says he will not nationalize major industries, as leftist leaders have done in Venezuela and Bolivia, but instead will guarantee property rights and seek support of business leaders. Mauricio Funes, a former CNN en Español correspondent, beat former police chief Rodrigo Avila by 2.6 percent in the March 15 election. He immediately sent signals that he'll seek to maintain tight relations with Washington and Brazil. Critics fear Funes' FMLN party, which was founded by Marxist guerrillas on the heels of the war, will fall in line with the region's hard left. Funes has sworn to establish diplomatic ties with Cuba, and his party has been receiving discounted oil from Venezuela's President Hugo Ch
El Salvador President-Elect Signals Moderation
