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<div align="center"><big><big><b><font face="Times New Roman">El
Salvador Inaugurates its First Leftist Government</font></b></big></big><br>
<font face="Times New Roman">CISPES special update</font><br>
<font face="Times New Roman"> June 3, 2009<br>
<img alt="june1" src="cid:part1.07090406.01070304@cispes.org"
height="227" width="302"><br>
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<font face="Times New Roman"> <br>
On June 1 2009, Mauricio Funes and Salvador Sanchez Cerén were sworn in
as the President and Vice President of El Salvador at the Feria
Internacional Convention Center in San Salvador. It was a magical day
for the Salvadoran people, social movement organizations, and the
leftist FMLN party which Funes and Sanchez Cerén represent. Check out
a video of the <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=577&Itemid=89">celebration
here </a>and view pictures of the inauguration <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=576&Itemid=89">here
</a>and <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=575&Itemid=89">here.</a><br>
<br>
Counted among the two thousand invited guests were many international
delegations and heads of state, including President Correa of Ecuador,
President Lula of Brazil, Vice President Lazo of Cuba, President
Bachelet of Chile, President Lugo of Paraguay, President Uribe of
Colombia, and President Arias from Costa Rica. Representatives from the
Dominican Republic, Bolivia, China, Taiwan, and Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton among others joined them. The Committee in Solidarity
with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) was also present with a
delegation of members from Washington DC, Los Angeles, New York and
Minneapolis. Notably absent were Presidents Hugo Chavez of Venezuela
and Evo Morales of Bolivia, who were unable to attend due to
last-minute concerns regarding their security while in the country.<br>
<br>
In a powerful inaugural address, President Funes promised that the
change the people asked for with the election of the FMLN “begins now”
and is in the hands of the people, not just the individual will of the
President. He vowed to work with sectors of the social movement to
“create a new national project” based on social inclusion and guided by
the forces of hope and optimism. Several steps that he and cabinet
members (link to recent update), who were sworn in immediately
following the ceremony, will take to confront the deep economic and
social crisis in El Salvador include an employment program to build
over 25,000 new houses, a central bank to guarantee credit to
small-scale agricultural producers, and the re-imagination of the Rural
Community Solidarity Network to guarantee access to health, nutrition
and free public education for the most vulnerable sectors of society.<br>
<br>
The address was imbued with the themes of social justice, equality, and
of a “peaceful and democratic revolution.” He stated that El Salvador
would no longer have a “government of the few, of the privileged” but
one where all people would be “recognized for their talents and
honesty, not for their connections or their last name.” He spoke of his
teacher and mentor, Monsenor Oscar Arnulfo Romero, whose tomb he
visited the morning of the inauguration and whose vision of a
“preferential option for the poor” was a pillar in Funes’ discourse
during the campaign. <br>
<br>
President Funes emphasized the importance of investing in the public
sector and of transparent, democratic public administration, marking a
clear break from the notorious corruption and policy of rampant
privatization of the right-wing ARENA government during the last twenty
years. Funes explained that even though the economic crisis was neither
the fault of the Salvadoran people or the FMLN party, but rather of the
previous ARENA administrations, it is their responsibility to resolve
it. He vowed to fight corruption within the government and within the
police, stating that “the time of bankrolling and impunity is over.” He
said frankly, “There are leaders and political parties who have had
their chance and they have failed. Now it is our turn and our
responsibility. It is time to show that we haven’t waited this long to
govern just to frustrate the dreams of the Salvadoran people.” <br>
<br>
The bold public exposure of corruption and cronyism of the right-wing
government signals a major shift in El Salvador’s political climate, as
does the homage to the Archbishop Romero, whose assassination was
orchestrated by the founder of the ARENA party. It was a very emotional
experience for many Salvadorans and long-time solidarity activists to
see the leadership of the FMLN, many of whom, including Vice-President
Sanchez Cerén, were guerrilla commanders, being saluted by the
Salvadoran military and taking the reigns from the very government that
killed over 75,000 Salvadorans in its attempt to stop the FMLN from
coming to power during the civil war.<br>
<br>
Despite the decorum and formality of the inauguration ceremony, many in
the crowd erupted into cheers of “Sí se pudo, Sí se pudo! (Yes we
did!)” and “El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!” with their left fists
in the air. Further revealing the guiding political and ideological
principles of many FMLN activists, the loudest cheers were heard during
the announcement of international delegations from Cuba, Venezuela,
Vietnam and Palestine. <br>
<br>
The excitement and energy of the FMLN’s base only increased at the
people’s inauguration (see video and pictures at
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://www.cispes.org">http://www.cispes.org</a>), the FMLN’s public celebration at Cuscatlán
Stadium that lasted into the night. Salvadorans who came from across
the country arrived as early as 3:00 am to be part of what former FMLN
leader Schafik Handal once promised would be “A Date with History.”
Over fifty thousand people formed a celebratory sea of red and white in
the stadium, cheering and dancing to the music of historic
revolutionary groups like Cutumay Camones and Los Guaraguao as they
waited for the address of their new President. <br>
<br>
Before Funes spoke, Latin American leaders including President Rafael
Correa of Ecuador and President Daniel Ortega of Nicaragua
congratulated the Salvadoran people on their triumph and welcomed El
Salvador into the consolidation of leftist and progressive countries in
Latin America, calling forth the vision of Simón Bolívar for the unity
and integration of the Americas. Funes announced that earlier in the
day he had formally re-established diplomatic relations with Cuba and
would move toward regional integration in Central America. Funes also
recognized the great sacrifice of many Salvadorans throughout decades
of struggle. <br>
<br>
A banner hanging in the stadium read: “Only the people can guarantee
that the electoral victory will become popular power.” Militant
organization by the Salvadoran people, both during thirty years of
struggle and during the past year of electoral campaigning, resulted in
the first leftist government in El Salvador, and will remain the most
powerful force in what Funes called “the work of re-inventing the
world.”<br>
<br>
<img alt="cispes_presente" src="cid:part2.07060402.04070108@cispes.org"
height="208" width="308"><br>
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