Special update: El Salvador Inaugurates its First Leftist Government (with video and pictures)

[CISPES National Office]

*El Salvador Inaugurates its First Leftist Government*
CISPES special update
 June 3, 2009
june1
 
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 celebration here 
<http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=577&Itemid=89>and 
view pictures of the inauguration here 
<http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=576&Itemid=89>and 
here. 
<http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=575&Itemid=89>

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.

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.

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.  

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."

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.

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.

The excitement and energy of the FMLN's base only increased at the 
people's inauguration (see video and pictures at http://www.cispes.org), 
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.

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.

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."

cispes_presente



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