Little more than a year ago, during President Álvaro Colom's trip to Brazil, the government announced the purchase of six Súper Tucano airplanes from Brazilian corporation Embrear. The purchase has almost been completed following Brazilian President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva's visit to Guatemala. Since 2005, the government has tried to purchase new aircrafts for the armed forces with the purpose of fighting organized crime and drug trafficking. However, a number of political and economic interests have until now acted as an obstacle. The purchase of this equipment leads to businessman Gregorio Valdés, today under the spotlight due to his role in the Rosenberg case and who has a long history of financing the election campaigns of different parties and has been accused of ties with drug trafficking cartels.

On June 1, Mauricio Funes took office as El Salvador's new president. His arrival in office has been described as “a historical moment” in the country's history, as the FMLN's victory breaks with 20 years of conservative ARENA rule. Political analysts have described the makeup of the new Funes administration as a combination of politicians and technocrats.

Until recently, it seemed that President Zelaya's political career was coming to an end and that he would leave the presidential office quietly, without any particular upheaval. The present situation couldn't be more different. Zelaya is in the midst of a campaign that could not only lead to his re-election but also produce a new Constitution. Political analysts agree that significant changes could occurr in the near future, whether for better or worse.

Things couldn't be more difficult for Álvaro Colom as he has come under fire from opposition parties as well as civil society organizations, due to the allegations made against him in the Rosenberg videotape. Added to this, the government must cope with the effects of the global financial crisis, which has made it necessary to make budget cuts in different institutions, including the funds that are periodically transferred to the municipalities. The latter has led to a confrontation between the Executive and the mayors, who have stated for the government but have also made it clear that their communities have pressing needs and that the financial support they receive underpins the relationship between local and central government. Until now, the measures taken by the Colom administration appear to have appeased a confrontation that could have made this situation even worse.