Nationalist Republican Alliance
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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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