LINDA WERTHEIMER, Host: In El Salvador, the party of former Marxist rebels has won the presidency. Journalist Mauricio Funes defeated the candidate of the ruling ARENA Party. It's the first time a left-wing party has come to power in El Salvador. Funes will take over a country plagued by widespread poverty with promises to mind the country's polarized politics. NPR's Jason Beaubien reports from the capital San Salvador.</s>JASON BEAUBIEN: After it was announced that Funes had won, Jorge Imenez(ph), a former guerrilla, was crying tears of joy as he hugged two of his comrades.</s>JORGE IMENEZ: (Foreign language spoken)</s>JASON BEAUBIEN: But in the speech announcing his victory Funes said he'll provide secure and moderate change for El Salvador and he promised to work across the country's polarized politics.</s>MAURICIO FUNES: (Spanish language spoken)</s>JASON BEAUBIEN: Unidentified Woman: (Foreign language spoken)</s>JASON BEAUBIEN: Sixty-six-year-old Tomas Venaloa(ph) in a white ARENA polo shirt and matching white ARENA cowboy hat had just voted. Venaloa said a victory by Funes would turn El Salvador into a communist state.</s>TOMAS VENALOA: (Foreign language spoken)</s>JASON BEAUBIEN: Jason Beaubien, NPR News, San Salvador.</s>LINDA WERTHEIMER, Host: This is NPR News.
For the first time in El Salvador, a left-wing party has won the presidency. The Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front formed in 1980 as a band of Marxist guerrillas attempting to seize power. They spent 12 years fighting in the jungle and almost two decades in political opposition — and they finally accomplished their goal Sunday night.