Shafik Handal
Schafik Jorge Handal (born October 14, 1930 in Usulután , † January 24, 2006 in San Salvador , El Salvador ) was a politician in El Salvador. He was a co-founder, parliamentary group leader and presidential candidate of the FMLN .
Life
Handal was born in 1930 to Palestinian immigrants.
From 1959 to 1994 Handal was the general secretary of the Partido Comunista de El Salvador , the Communist Party of El Salvador. In the 1980s during the Civil War he was a member of the guerrilla . He was chairman of one of the five opposition organizations that founded the FMLN.
After the ceasefire agreement of 1992, the FMLN turned into a political left party, in which Handal worked as a coordinator. In 1997 he was elected to the National Assembly of El Salvador. He was a faction leader in the FMLN.
In the 2004 presidential election, Shafik Handal was the FMLN's candidate. He propagated political leftist goals such as more distant relations with the USA , better relations with socialist- oriented states in Latin America including Cuba , but also Venezuela and Brazil . Opponents accused him of anti-Americanism. The FMLN expressed displeasure over the fact that US officials were questioning US relations in the event of Handal's election victory. The competing party ARENA raised fears that the United States would deport many Salvadorans living in the United States back to their homeland after a Handal victory. Handal was clearly defeated by the ARENA candidate, Antonio Saca , with 36% of the votes cast. Saca won 58% of the vote. Shafik Handal died of a heart attack on January 24, 2006 after returning from Bolivia , where he attended the inauguration of Evo Morales .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Handal, Schafik |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Handal, Schafik Jorge (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Salvadoran politician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | October 14, 1930 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Usulutan |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 24, 2006 |
| Place of death | San Salvador , El Salvador |