Weekly Report - 15 January 2009 (ISSN 1741-7422)

President Tony Saca accused the left-wing opposition Frente Farabundo Martí­ para la Liberación Nacional (FMLN) last week of forging links with the mara gangs and other armed groups. He said his government would send an inter-ministerial report on the issue to the Organization of American States (OAS) and the UN. The content of the report is less important than the timing of its presentation. It is designed to have maximum impact on the legislative elections on 18 January and presidential elections on 15 March, both of which the FMLN is favourite to win.