Dear Naclistas,
The Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) is keeping careful watch on the elections in El Salvador coming up this Sunday. See below for a note from them on why this election matters and where to plug in for election coverage!
In the space of four short years, the FMLN government of El Salvador has managed to instill hope in a citizenry that had known decades of political and economic abuse at the hands of military dictators and lackeys of right wing extra-national corporations. Today labor unions organize public sector workers. Today children can drink milk in school and dairy farmers receive a fair price for their product. Today women and young adults have a voice in the future of their country.
CISPES election observers are now on the ground documenting the final days leading up to February 2, with one eye on the smear and fear campaign in El Salvador, and one eye on the United States. Thanks to pressure from a coalition of U.S.-based solidarity organizations, the U.S. Ambassador and over 50 Members of Congress have declared Washington's willingness to work with whichever candidate the Salvadoran people elect this Sunday.
The desperate right wing ARENA party is already trying to discredit the outcome of the elections, as the nation watches ex-ARENA President Paco Flores publicly squirm in televised hearings over the theft of $10 million dollars just days before Salvadorans head to the polls. Meanwhile, the FMLN is enjoying a boost in the final campaign stretch since the country's popular first lady, Vanda Pignato, resigned from her cabinet post to back the FMLN candidate as the only candidate committed to continuing the unprecedented social investment started in 2009.
CISPES will continue keeping the international solidarity community informed throughout the election process to ensure that the Salvadoran people - not the United States - determines the outcome of these elections. Follow our election analysis and coverage before February 2, and our live news feed from observers across the country on election day:
http://2014electionsblog.wordpress.com
On Twitter @CISPES
On Facebook
Latest From CISPES Election Blog:
Ex-President Francisco Flores was caught trying to flee the country
Statements of U.S. neutrality in the papers and on the radio
Former U.S. Ambassador says U.S. shouldn't be scared of an FMLN victory on Sunday
Reports of former employer trying to coerce fired workers to vote for ARENA
U.S. Rep. Engel releases statement about elections
Listen here! The International Vote: Salvadoran FMLN Candidate Sanchez Ceren Visits D.C. by Enrique Rivera
