|
International Elections Observation Mission: Day Five
Saturday, March 14th, 2009
By J.R. Claeys
This morning newspapers reported that the ARENA candidate, Rodrigo Avila, said he would accept the results of the election tomorrow. ARENA has held power since prior to the end of the civil war in El Salvador so many were concerned that the party that has never been defeated would hold onto power by any means. They have been accused of using fraudulent tactics to hold onto power in the past. In January, during the legislative elections, busses full of Guatemalans, Nicaraguans and Hondurans were stopped at the border. They were all prepared to vote.
In a poor country, where many births happen in the home without any record, a foreigner can easily be paid to register to vote, especially when they work in El Salvador. At that point, all the Voter I.D. laws on earth cannot stop that illegal vote from being cast.
In the United States, how difficult is it for someone from Missouri to register to vote in Kansas? How easy is it for someone from El Salvador to register to vote in Kansas? Once registered, how do we stop that illegal vote from being cast? All are questions that need answered if we are to have faith in the outcomes of our elections. Sadly, the answer to the registration questions isn't one we want to hear.
There is hope that the report of Avila accepting the results tomorrow means that less violence will come from an ARENA loss. Most people who have been living this election for over 18 months think it won't make any difference. They expect violent riots regardless of the result. Avila is just one man, the party is an entire movement dating back to a violent and bloody war. A war fought against what is now FMLN.
This afternoon I found a Cathedral in central San Salvador. Since our observation begins at 5:00 a.m. tomorrow and ends possibly Monday morning, I stopped in and say a few prayers for the safety of the people of this country and all the observers.
Afterward I visited with an organization that advocates women's issues in San Salvador. It's important to note here that in a Catholic country like El Salvador, abortion is not an issue. It is not permitted. Neither party advocates for it. And the women's rights organizations will have nothing to do with it. The organization works to prevent domestic violence, and works to bring about equity in opportunity for women in both work and pay.
In El Salvador, if the women had their way, the conservative party would win. All the polls show women picking ARENA over FMLN and the men choosing the opposite. Women want the structure and stability of the ARENA government, while men are more interested in the labor issues and message of "change" from FMLN. There are more issues than those, but you get the idea. When I say conservative, please do not be confused and think there is a direct comparison to our own parties in the U.S. There is not.
Later in the day we went over our final plan for tomorrow's elections. We will be recording our observations in writing, with cameras and on video. It is likely that I will write more tomorrow evening after the polls close and the ballots are counted.
» Photo Gallery: Elections Observation Mission
 Text JOINJR to 41411 for Updates!
|
|
|
