ARENA, the party which has ruled this tiny Central American country for the last fourteen years, has been given a new mandate. The party faithful started celebrating just minutes after the vote count began, when initial results suggested that former sports television presenter, Tony Saca, would win in the first round.

Less than three hours later, before the official result was confirmed by the electoral council, Tony Saca declared himself El Salvador's president elect. Appearing at a podium in his trademark shirt of his party's colours - red, white and blue - Mr Saca said that the people of El Salvador have asked me to take care of the future and not to slip back into the past. Live on local television, he then proceeded to take several congratulatory telephone calls from the leaders of other Central American nations. Fireworks could be heard crackling across the skies of the capital.

This result is a resounding rejection of the left wing in its current form. It's unlikely that the seventy three year old Communist former guerrilla commander, Schafik Handal, will stand again. It seems that its leaders will have to modernise in order for the left to become a significant force in modern Salvadorean politics.