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<p class=MsoNormal><i><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-style:italic'>Note: the vote to cut funding for
the SOA will happen today in the House of Representatives! Check out <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=222&Itemid=27">CISPES’s
alert about the SOA and funding for the International Law Enforcement Academy
(ILEA)</a> and go to the SOA Watch webpage to send an email or fax to your
Representative: <a href="http://www.soaw.org/">http://www.soaw.org</a> <o:p></o:p></span></font></i></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><b><font size=4
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:14.0pt;font-weight:bold'>FMLN and
Social Movement Unite Against Persecution of Organized Vendors, Privatization of
Health Care<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>CISPES update<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=3
face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>June 20, 2007<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal align=center style='text-align:center'><font size=2
color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;font-family:Arial;
color:navy'><img border=0 width=375 height=292 id="_x0000_i1029"
src="cid:image001.jpg@01C7B345.A1171BB0"><o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal style='text-indent:.5in'><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt'>The movement of organized informal market vendors has
been gaining steam recently in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">El
Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region>. Back on May 30,<sup> </sup>Salvadoran
Security Minister Rene Figueroa, along with director of the National Civilian
Police (PNC) Rodrigo Avila, announced they were issuing arrest warrants for
leaders of the National Vendors’ Movement, including Martin Montoya and
Sandra Henriquez. Since then, the social movement<font color=navy><span
style='color:navy'> </span></font>has organized a campaign denouncing the
political persecution against organized vendors and their allies. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The campaign kicked off this past Tuesday when the social movement,
including members of the National Vendors Movement, presented a resolution to
the Salvadoran Legislative Assembly. The resolution explained the dire
situation that the vendors are facing, detailing the most recent confiscations,
attacks, and repression by the PNC, including a raid that led to riots in
downtown <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">San Salvador</st1:place></st1:City>
on May 12. A number of organized vendors were arrested then, and
soon after arrest warrants were issued for the movement’s
leadership. Some of those arrested face trial under <st1:country-region
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
recently approved anti-terrorism law (go <a
href="http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=219&Itemid=27">here
for more information and to respond.</a>) Social movement organizations also
pushed the Legislative Assembly to create a special commission that would
investigate the persecution and capture of the vendors, and have called for the
PNC and the Attorney General to define the charges against those
arrested. Additionally, the social movement called on the Legislative
Assembly to publicly denounce the persecution and repression targeting
activists and organizers, especially those within the vendors’ movement.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>FMLN and social movement protest
against privatization of health<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>On June 16 the Salvadoran social movement once again took to the streets
to protest the privatization of health care, reactivating the historic <i><span
style='font-style:italic'>marcha blanca</span></i> (white-clad marches)
initiated in 2003. The activity was organized by the FMLN in coordination
with health care organizations and new coalitions formed in the past year
against<font color=navy><span style='color:navy'> </span></font>the steps
towards privatization taken by the Saca government.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>More than 20,000 people marched from downtown <st1:City w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">San Salvador</st1:place></st1:City> to the neighborhood where many
national hospitals are located. Two of the major hospitals, the maternity
hospital and the general hospital Rosales, were damaged in the 2001
earthquakes, for which the government subsequently received more than $140
million in loans for reconstruction. The FMLN voted to approve those loans and
has denounced the fact that they have yet to be allocated. The party
demands that the funds either be returned or utilized to rebuild 7 national
hospitals. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>ARENA has already presented a proposal for the
“modernization” of health care, which most social organizations
have denounced as a first step towards privatization. Some services such
as maintenance and food supplies within the national hospitals have already
been privatized. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>Saca consolidates “civil
dictatorship”<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 color=red face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;color:red;font-weight:bold'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>During the speech celebrating his third year as president Antonio Saca
announced a plan for approving addition loans that would involve a new,
unconstitutional tactic: establishing a so-called trust fund of $350 million,
and doing so without a 2/3 majority of votes in the Legislative Assembly.
In April the right-wing ARENA party failed to ram through a package of
loans totaling more than $400 million, and thus this new tactic is the
party’s attempt to subvert the power of the FMLN, which has refused to
approve any new loans. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The “trust” that Saca is proposing would involve the
selling of bonds with which the government would obtain the necessary $350
million. The bonds would be administered by the Multi-sector Investment
Bank which would then pass it on to the government to supposedly spend on
security and health. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Saca’s plan to create the “trust” without approval in
the Legislative Assembly violates Article184 in the SalvadoranConstitution
which states that all loans or public debt must be approved by a 2/3 majority
in the Assembly. ARENA has been weak in defending the creation of the
“trust”, making serious contradictions by first denying that it
would further public debt, then admitting that it would increase debt
“for the benefit of the Salvadoran people.” <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The FMLN strongly opposes the creation of the “trust” and
has pledged to present an unconstitutionality bill to the Supreme Court of
Justice, while publicly stating that Saca’s attempt to take away the
power of the Legislative Assembly is part of consolidating ARENA’s
“civil dictatorship.” At the same time, the FMLN has
denounced the increading rate of the Salvadoran external debt, demanding that
if the government simply taxed the rich (i.e. the ARENA leaders themselves),
then <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">El Salvador</st1:country-region></st1:place>’s
revenue would double and make further loans unnecessary.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><b><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span
style='font-size:12.0pt;font-weight:bold'>FMLN continues the battle for
electoral reforms<o:p></o:p></span></font></b></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>While rumors continue to circulate about possible candidates for the
2009 Salvadoran legislative, municipal and presidential elections, the priority
of the FMLN in the electoral process has been to push for legislative approval
of three key reforms to the electoral system. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The first reform relates to the national registry. Currently,
ARENA has control over the voter registry, helping the right-wing perpetrate its
fraudulent and illegitimate victories of the past. According to the FMLN,
the registry must be updated and made accessible to all parties. The
second reform is the implementation of the residential vote, a step that could
also prevent ARENA from committing fraud (such as bringing people from <st1:country-region
w:st="on">Honduras</st1:country-region> and <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Nicaragua</st1:place></st1:country-region> to vote, having people
voting in more than one municipality, etc.) The third reform is to limit
the power of the president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) given that
he is an active member of ARENA. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>The Electoral Commission created by the Legislative Assembly has
approved the implementation of the residential vote but changes to the TSE are
pending. According to the FMLN’s electoral calendar these reforms
must be approved by September 2007; if not, the 2009 electoral process is
destined to be corrupted by the same fraudulent tactics used in past
years. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=3 face="Times New Roman"><span style='font-size:
12.0pt'>Finally, this past weekend, the TSE announced another important reform:
the separation of municiple and legislative elections (now scheduled for
January 2009) from the presidential elections (scheduled for March 2009.)
The FMLN disapproves of the separation as it would double the cost of the
electoral process. Eugenio Chicas, magistrate for the FMLN in the
TSE, declared that the move was “a desperate measure” by ARENA proving
its fear of a possible FMLN victory in 2009. He also pointed out
the irony of ARENA impeding the residential vote (for financial reasons) while
favoring a huge budget increase that would result from separating the elections.
<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 color=navy face=Arial><span style='font-size:
10.0pt;font-family:Arial;color:navy'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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