[Cispes-update] FMLN Strength Increases Fear in ARENA; Saca Visits U.S. and Calls for Increased Intervention in El Salvador

CISPES National Office cispes at cispes.org
Thu Dec 6 13:51:50 EST 2007


FMLN Strength Increases Fear in ARENA; Saca Visits U.S. and Calls for
Increased Intervention in El Salvador

CISPES Update

December 6, 2007



Salvadoran President Antonio Saca continues his strong ties to President
Bush during a meeting on November 29

 

In late November, the Public Opinion Institute of the Central American
University (IUDOP) conducted a poll showing the leftist FMLN party with a
clear advantage just over a year before the Salvadoran legislative,
municipal, and presidential elections of 2009.  In terms of the presidential
race, the FMLN had 34.5% of voter’s preference while ARENA came in second
with 27%.  At the same time, popular FMLN presidential candidate Mauricio
Funes received a 74% approval rating.  Jeanette Aguilar, coordinator of the
IUDOP stated that “there is a clear FMLN advantage in the three levels of
elections,” which will be held in January and March of 2009. A strong FMLN
candidate and the failure of the right wing government of ARENA to solve the
country’s problems are cited as reasons for an FMLN advantage in the
ratings. 

 

ARENA Responds to FMLN Gains

 

Currently, the FMLN’s strength has frightened the right-wing ARENA party
into taking desperate measures, attacking the FMLN and paving the way for
electoral fraud. Last week, ARENA and the PCN party moved forward with a
series of electoral reforms in the Legislative Assembly.  The right-wing
parties declared that they only need 43 votes from the National Assembly to
approve the reforms.  The reforms, which were denounced by the FMLN’s
Electoral Commission, would eliminate the seal and signature on voting
ballots, increase the requisites for creating new parties and coalitions,
and limit and criminalize voters migrating from one municipality to another
for electoral purposes.  If the reforms were to pass the process for
implementing them would start on March 2008. According to FMLN deputy Walter
Duran, “these reforms are dangerous as they promote electoral fraud.” 

 

At the municipal level, ARENA has recently given interest-free loans for
municipal services to municipalities where the FMLN might win the 2009
elections.  The right has also continued to attack FMLN San Salvador Mayor
Violeta Menjívar, primarily around issues related to garbage collection and
the distribution of the vendors stands.  Menjívar and the Municipal Council
continue to negotiate with vendors regarding the location of their stands in
response to the recent conflict between right-wing vendors and the San
Salvador Police which resulted in violence in mid-November.  Menjívar stated
that the violence was caused by people hired by the right-wing parties to
destabilize downtown San Salvador and its municipal government.  In fact,
the lack of formal employment and the poor administration of the public
transportation system have created the tense situation in San Salvador;
furthermore, many of these problems are not under municipal jurisdiction,
but rather issues that the Salvadoran government and the Transportation
Ministry should resolve.  

 

Finally, in the community of Santiago de Maria, ARENA concessioned the
Laguna Alegria Natural Park to a community development association called
ADESCAM in 2006 before handing over the administration of the town of to the
FMLN.  Then in November former major Carlos Antonio Luna said that the park
was given away to maintain its tranquil and pleasant environment because “we
don’t want the park to become a place full of garbage and street vendors
like San Salvador.”  The FMLN has countered such blatant propaganda as part
of a strategy to undermine FMLN municipalities, which also has occurred
through depriving them of resources and public services. 

 

Saca Warns of “Socialist Cancer” in Latin America

 

Last week, Salvadoran President Antonio Saca traveled to the United States
to visit President Bush, World Bank Chief Robert Zoellick, and to receive
the “freedom award” from the International Republican Institute (IRI).
During his trip Saca called for increased U.S. funding for security in
Central America through the Iniciativa Merdia program, complaining about the
fact that Mexico is set to receive $500 million through the plan while all
of Central America will only receive $50 million.  Check
<http://www.cispes.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=320&Itemid=
29>  out the CISPES press release about the Saca visit here. 

 

Saca also made a call to the U.S. government and business groups to beware
of the expansion of of “socialist” governments in Latin America,
specifically in relation to the Salvadoran elections of 2009.  Saca stated
that the U.S. “can help out a lot in preventing citizen support for certain
proposals offered in the upcoming elections,” referring to the FMLN [during
the 2004 Salvadoran presidential race, the U.S. government openly supported
the fear campaign launched by ARENA.]  FMLN Communications Director Sigfrido
Reyes decried the hypocrisy of Saca for requesting U.S. intervention in the
Salvadoran electoral process while simultaneously criticizing the FMLN for
supposedly being financed by the Venezuelan government. According to Reyes,
Saca is “definitely full of panic, probably due to the FMLN’s strength.”  

 

Salvadoran Legislative Assembly reprimands Director of National Civilian
Police for Attacking Community of Cutumay Camones 

  

Parties in the Legislative Assembly—with the exception of ARENA—demanded
last week that Police Director Rodrigo Avila explain the excessive use of
force to “dissolve” protests in the community of Cutumay Camones.
Legislators of different parties heavily questioned the brutal police
attacks against peaceful protesters resisting the construction and operation
of a garbage dump in their community.  One deputy from the center-left CD
party stated that the National Police “cannot defend the interests of a
private company that does not even fulfill legal requisites to operate,”
referring to the series of irregularities that have been overlooked in the
approval of the construction permits awarded to the private company Presys.
Avila was reprimanded for not heeding to the special legislative commission
created for the case inearly November, which recommended that the National
Police not intervene in the conflict between the community of Cutumay
Camones, the Presys Company, and the local government. 

 

On November 27 Cutumay Camones residents—in negotiations mediated by the
Human Rights Ombudsman Oscar Luna—temporarily agreed to stop blocking the
road as an action of protest. Community leaders presented a series of
proposals to Presys and to the municipality to reach a solution to the
ongoing conflict, but both the private company and Santa Ana mayor Orlando
Mena were unwilling to come to a solution. Luna said “neither the mayor nor
Presys chose to accept the proposals; on the contrary, they left the
negotiation table.”  Presys and the local government have chosen to ignore
the proposals, putting the fragile agreement in danger and demonstrating
their lack of interest in reaching an agreement to stop the conflict.
Meanwhile, all 27 protesters arrested last week were released on bail and
damages charges were dropped, but they will continue to be charged with
public disorder.

 

 

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