Mauricio Funes

Funes, Mauricio, 1959-, Salvadoran journalist and politician, president of El Salvador (2009-). A television reporter, he became known for his news reporting and analysis on El Salvador's long civil war and for his insightful interviews. A moderate leftist, Funes developed sympathy for many of the aims of the left-wing Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FNLN). A news director from 1997, he was fired in 2005 as a result of his criticism of the conservative government. Subsequently more directly involved in politics, Funes became the FMLN's 2009 presidential candidate and won, becoming the country's first elected leftist leader.