El Salvador elected its first leftist president, Sunday, in hopes of ending out-of-control violence, rising prices, and unfair treatment in the country.

Are leftist governments what Latin American countries like El Salvador need? CBN News Senior Producer Stan Jeter explained the impact this election could have in the region, and its affect on the U.S. Click play for his comments.

Presidential candidate Mauricio Funes of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front won 51 percent of the vote. The former TV journalist promised to fight the country's soaring prices, social inequalities, and one of the highest homicide rates in Latin America.

Funes, however, was criticized by opponents throughout the election for his party affiliation, which was once a rebel group in the country.

His victory ends the 20-year rule of the conservative Arena party and also marks another leftist leader for Latin America.

El Salvador is the third country in Central America to go left after Nicaragua and Guatemala. Most of the governments in South America also have a leftist government, including Venezeula, Bolivia, and Peru.