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<div align="center"><font face="Times New Roman"><b><big>Alarming
number of foreigners present in country on Election Day in El Salvador</big><br>
CISPES Election Day update #1<br>
January 18, 2008<br>
<i>(check out all the latest updates at <a
href="http://cispes.org/09electionsblog/">http://cispes.org/09electionsblog/)</a></i><br>
</b></font></div>
<font face="Times New Roman"><br>
<a href="http://cispes.org/09electionsblog/"><img alt="blog pic"
src="cid:part1.05060301.09000803@cispes.org" align="right" border="0"
height="253" width="288"></a>FMLN and community leaders have expressed
concern over an alarming number of foreigners (particularly Nicaraguans
and Guatemalans) present in the country on Election Day, presumably
bused in by the right-wing to vote. Their presence is troubling
considering previous denouncements of foreigners on the voter registry
and foreigners voting in past elections.<br>
<br>
FMLN representatives reported that six buses of foreigners were
detained in the department of La Unión, another 3 buses of foreigners
in the department of Usulután, and the National Civilian Police (PNC)
reported another bus of Nicaraguans in the municipality of San Miguel.
Last week, members of the FMLN, National Conciliation Party (PNC),
Christian Democrat Party (PDC), and Democratic Change (CD) denounced
before the TSE that the incumbent ARENA mayoral candidate was
distributing DUIs to Honduran citizens that were found on the voter
registry in San Isidro Cabañas.<br>
<br>
The FMLN party is poised to make significant gains in both municipal
governments and legislative representatives in today’s elections. For
the first time ever, ARENA is expected to lose its spot as having the
most seats in the Legislative Assembly. Busing in of foreigners to
vote, vote buying, employer threats, and various types of voter fraud
have all been denounced in the past as methods used by the right-wing
and ARENA to manipulate the Salvadoran electoral process.<br>
<b><br>
CISPES activists participating as observers report numerous
irregularities</b><br>
<br>
<i>Late Openings and Early Chaos</i><br>
CISPES activists that are participating along with over 80 other
international observers in the International Observation Mission (MOI)
have already reported numerous irregularities at the polling places
they are observing. None of the Voting Centers being observed opened
at 7 AM as required by law. Many did not open until 8 AM or later.
The observers also report an alarming number of voting table staff that
seem unclear on the procedure and their roles. This resulted in many
party-affiliated vigilantes taking on their work and distributing and
preparing the electoral materials. Multiple voting tables were also
set up with their voting stations exposed to the table staff and
public, denying citizens their legal right to vote in privacy.<br>
<br>
<i>Multiple DUIs</i><br>
Observers at a Voting Center in the department of Chalatenango reported
that before the Center opened, when table staff are allowed to vote, a
woman was seen with two DUIs (Unique Identity Documents, photo ID
required to vote). Before voting, the DUIs of all table staff are
collected and stored until the closing of the center to ensure they do
not leave and vote somewhere else. The woman working at the table
chose to abstain from voting, but when asked for her DUI she removed
two from her pocket and then quickly returned one of them. Aside from
the MOI observer and two European Union observers—who as observers
cannot intervene in the process—no one else seemed to notice the second
DUI. Another voter at this Center was also found to have two DUIs
after attempting to vote at two voting tables and was arrested and
removed from the center.<br>
<br>
<i>Foreign Voters</i><br>
Observers in Chalatenango also received a report that four of the
voting tables in the center had table staff that were Guatemalan
citizens with fake DUIs. A voter who was also a substitute to a member
of the table staff was not allowed to vote after FMLN vigilantes
identified him as a Honduran citizen with a fake DUI.<br>
<br>
<i>stay tuned for more updates and check out the latest info at: <a
href="http://cispes.org/09electionsblog/">http://cispes.org/09electionsblog/</a></i><br>
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