El Salvador Political Rally Erupts in Violence; 1 Killed

A major rally held to honor the Salvadoran government’s right-wing presidential candidate erupted in violence Saturday after market vendors and pro-left youths fought with the candidate’s supporters, witnesses said.

At least 41 people were hurt, according to rescue agencies. A 27-year-old man was reported killed.

The violence began as Armando Calderon Sol, presidential candidate for the ruling Nationalist Republican Alliance (Arena), pressed through a crowded market to a downtown plaza for an end-of-campaign rally. Witnesses said the vendors hurled fruit and chairs at Calderon Sol, who was accompanied by President Alfredo Cristiani.

Once Calderon Sol and Cristiani had passed, the melee escalated. The vendors, joined by a number of pro-left youths, and the Arena crowd began hurling rocks, throwing fists and finally shooting.

Although Arena blamed the violence on the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), the former rebels who formed a political party after El Salvador’s civil war ended, witnesses said the melee appeared spontaneous. Nevertheless, it will likely escalate tensions.