In the final tally, vice-president Mr Sánchez Céren of the ruling Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) defeated Norman Quijano (67) of the Arena party by 50.1 per cent to 49.9 per cent, according to results of last Sunday’s election released by the tribunal.

The FMLN is a militant group that fought a string of US-backed governments in the 1980-1992 civil war.