On February 8, 2006, the Coordinadora Nacional Agropecuaria (National Agricultural Coordinator) marched from San Salvador's city center to Santa Tecla, where the Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería (Ministry of Agriculture and Cattle Ranchers) is located. Marchers demanded that the Ministry delay the implementation for three years of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), slated to go into effect on March 1, 2006. Participants stated that, since Salvadoran farmers cannot compete with U.S. prices, the importation of agricultural products from the U.S. to El Salvador through CAFTA would devastate the 500,000 Salvadoran families who depend upon agriculture for survival. Read more.

 

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Salvadoran Elections 101: What are these all about and what is SHARE doing about them? 

On March 12^th, the Salvadoran people will elect both their municipal mayors and representatives (diputados) to the legislative assembly for another 3 year term. They will also choose 20 representatives for the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), the regional body of analysis and recommendations (non-binding) on political, social, and cultural matters of common interest. The mayors direct, along with their respective councils, the local government for each of the 262 municipalities in the country. The Legislative Assembly is one of the three powers of the state. It is composed of 84 representatives who legislate, interpret, and revoke laws.

The principal political parties are ARENA (Republican National Alliance), and the FMLN (Farabundo Martí Front for National Liberation), rightist and leftist, respectively. There are other smaller parties who also participate in the electoral process: PCN (National Conciliation Party), PDC (Christian Democrat Party), CD (Democratic Change), and PNL (Liberal National Party).

The results of the municipal elections determine in whose control some of the most strategically influential mayoral offices will remain, namely those based in the metropolitan area of San Salvador. Currently there are 13 municipalities in the metropolitan area: 10 governed by the FMLN, including San Salvador, and 3 governed by ARENA.

In terms of the Legislative Assembly, since the FMLN left the armed struggle and transitioned into a political party, the right has maintained the majority via ARENA and their allies- the PCN and PDC. Decisions as important as the ratification of the free trade agreement, and the approval of many other laws, require only a simple majority (43 votes). Other decisions of major relevance, according to the Constitution, such as the ratification of international loans (for example to finance the Plan Puebla Panama projects) demand a quorum (56 votes). Currently the breakdown of the votes is the following: ARENA (29), FMLN (24), PCN (16), FDR (6) [A new party, not yet legalized], CD (5), PDC (3) and the PPSC (3).

The SHARE Foundation is supporting three projects in this pre-electoral phase to strengthen democracy in Zacatecoluca (La Paz Department), Tecoluca (San Vicente Department), Chalchuapa (Santa Ana Department), and San Salvador. We are working through Salvadoran counterparts ISD (the Social Initiative for Democracy), CDM Tecoluca (The Municipal Development Committee of Tecoluca), and FUNDASPAD (The Salvadoran Association for Democracy and Local Development, respectively, to achieve this.

The goals of these projects are to encourage people to obtain their D.U.I. (their national identification card required for voting), to promote that people exercise their right to vote in an intentional, conscious manner, and that there be debate among all of the candidates in the participating political parties. Through the group for Independent, Integrated Rehabilitation (ACOGIPRI), SHARE is supporting the training for 50 elections monitors. They will be trained to verify that the voting centers meet the adequate standards so that the population can freely vote on March 12^th.

How You Can Walk With Your Brothers and Sisters Leading Up to the March 12th Elections

We encourage you to write notes of solidarity to your partnering community and to women or youth in your partnering region in El Salvador leading up to the elections. You can send your translated notes either directly, or through Leslie Bilchick in the SHARE El Salvador office (leslie@share-elsalvador.org). Let your partnering communities know that you are praying or hoping for justice and that they have the right to fair, free and informed elections -- where they can vote their conscience and build a true democracy.