Central America: Voting for Moderation

As Duarte wins in El Salvador, Reagan scores a narrow victory in Congress

For months the twin political battles had raged in the dusty civic plazas of Central America and in the ornate lobbies on Capitol Hill. Hanging in the balance was the future of El Salvador, a nation in desperate search of an exit from its 4½-year civil war. Just as much in question was the fate of the Reagan Administration's controversial efforts to protect U.S. security interests in Central America.

By last week, both of those drawn-out contests had arrived, if not at...