The Election Observation Project

OBJECTIVE:

To contribute to strengthening transparency in the election process in El Salvador and to have an impact on an informed debate on electoral reforms.

————–- o ———–—

If you have questions or coments you can write us at:

English Email:

electionmission@ cis-elsalvador.org

Spanish Email:

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Electoral Process Marches On

TSE launches campaign ‘Today you choose’ to instruct on how to vote

The objective of the campaign is to explain to Salvadorians the ways in which they can vote to elect deputies. The campaign is in the hands of the company Maxima Publicity.

The TSE distributes fifth position in the JRV between five parties        

The TSE distributed between the five smaller parties the fifth position that each will occupy in the nearly 11,000 JRVs that will be installed in 1,200 voting centres throughout the country in the elections.

The raffle was carried out between the parties of La Esperanza (PES), Cambio Democratico (CD), Partido Popular (PP), Fraternidad Patriota Salvadoreña (FPS), and Partido Nacional Liberal (PNL).

For their part the FMLN, ARENA, GANA, and Concertacion Nacional (CN), ex Partido de Conciliacion Nacional (PCN), already have a space. The FMLN and ARENA, for having obtained the highest quantity of votes in the presidential elections of March 2009, are given the first two positions of the JRVs in their own right. 

Political parties begin municipal electoral campaigns

This Friday 10^th the electoral campaign for mayoral candidates and municipal councils officially began, in the face of the mayoral and deputy elections of 11^th March.

The current mayor of San Salvador, Norman Quijano, who is seeking re-election, began his campaign with a thanksgiving mass, held in the early hours of this last Friday in the Basílica Sagrado Corazón, in the centre of the capital.

For his part, the FMLN candidate for mayor of San Salvador, Shafik Handal, accompanied by the deputy Lorena Peña and party activists, focused on the plaza Salvador del Mundo. 

Electoral simulation

Eugenio Chicas, president of the TSE, said this week that they will hold a massive simulation of the voting process between the 25^th and 26^th February.

With this activity it is hoped that they will be able to test the effectiveness of the computer system that will be used to transmit the electoral results.

 Tribunal Supremo Electoral (Supreme Electoral Tribunal)

DUI– Documento Único de Identidad (Unique Document of Identification)

RNPN– Registro Nacional de Personas Naturales (National Registry of Naturalized Persons)

PGR– Procuraduría General de la Republica. (National Attorney General)

JED– Junta Electoral Departamental (Departmental Election Board)

JEM– Junta Electoral Municipal (Municipal Election Board)

JRV– Junta Receptora de Votos. (Vote Receiving Table)

The Parties

Mayoral candidate for GANA arrested for threatening a rival

The candidate for mayor in the municipality of San Jose las Flores, Chalatenango, for GANA, Denny Serrano, regained his freedom after having been arrested, accused of the crime of threatening behaviour. Serrano was arrested after having supposedly threatened the mayoral candidate for ARENA in the municipality, Ovidio Ceron, with a firearm.

“I was with a group of people... he stopped his vehicle and threatened us. We threw ourselves to the floor,” said Ceron yesterday, also revealing that a hearing has been scheduled in court for this coming week. 

FPS will not participate in elections for deputies

The party Fraternidad Patriota Salvadoreño (FPS) will be the only party of the nine registered that will not participate in the legislative elections, so determined the collegiate body of the TSE. The party was unable to resolve the registration problems needed by the tribunal; it had not been able present the documentation for deputy candidates to compete in seven of the departments.
Oscar Lemus, president of the FPS, indicated that his party decided to withdraw itself due to the ‘bureaucracy of the registration process’. 

Electoral Attorney asked to investigate propaganda of GANA for supposed ‘moral attacks’

Eduardo Urquilla, magistrate of the TSE, yesterday said that they will ask the Electoral Attorney to investigate the methods being used by GANA to obtain votes, as in the case of a political event held by Will Salgado, mayor of San Miguel, in which a young girl was seen, through a photograph spread on the social networks, dancing in front of children. Another case in the municipality of San Martin was reported, in which the candidate from this party held a competition, with the winner receiving a bottle of liquor.
“In the Electoral Code there is a provision that says that the propaganda shall conform with the law, and that which is deemed moral and of good manners. We hope that the Electoral Attorney will investigate these cases,” said the magistrate, Urquilla.

The Election Observation Project

OBJECTIVE:

To contribute to strengthening transparency in the election process in El Salvador and to have an impact on an informed debate on electoral reforms.

————–- o ———–—

If you have questions or coments you can write us at:

English Email:

electionmission@ cis-elsalvador.org

Spanish Email:

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Electoral Process Marches On

Politicians sign pact of non-electoral violence

Representatives of the political parties and independent candidates yesterday signed a pact of understanding to prevent electoral violence ahead of the March 11^th elections.

The Procurator of Human Rights, Oscar Luna, presided over the signing of the agreement in the National Palace of San Salvador. He stressed that the main objective of this ‘gentlemen’s agreement’ is to guarantee that the campaign and the elections develop within a climate of respect for legality and institutionalism.

In the pact the parties and independent candidates accepted the responsibility of instructing their activists and sympathisers in not involving themselves in violent acts.

Female candidates trained in public management and campaigning        

Women aspiring to be elected as deputies, mayors, or councillors in the March elections put themselves through two days of training in themes such as public management, planning and communication.

The workshop was organised by the Women’s Parliamentary Group (GPM) with the support of the Inter-American Development Bank (BID).

Raffle for positions of flags in the voting papers

On receiving their voting slip in the upcoming municipal and legislative elections, the electorate will see the flag of the governing FLMN party in first position. The second that they will see to the left of the paper will be that of ARENA.

This was the result of the raffle that was carried out by the TSE, in compliance with the electoral calendar. The raffle determined the position of the flags of the political parties on the voting papers. The position allocated will be the same for the legislative and municipal ballots.

The first position (from left to right) was allocated to the FMLN, followed by ARENA. In third position will be the PP, and the remaining positions will be, in this order, GANA, CD, PES, FPS, CN, and PNL.

Population still in doubt over the electoral process

The most recent survey carried out by the Salvadorian Centre for the Investigation of Public Opinion (CIOPS) of the Technological University (UTEC) warns that there still exists doubt among the population concerning some aspects of the electoral process of this coming March.

The survey, conducted between the 27^th and 29^th

January of this year, also revealed that 54.8% of those interviewed are enthused by the current electoral campaign; 46.2% will mark the flag when it comes time to vote; and 44.7% will mark the name and photo, as allowed by the new system of voting.

32,737 citizens ask for a change to their assigned voting centre

Data from the TSE indicates that 32,737 people have sought a change to their assigned voting centre in the consultation phase for the residential vote, which ended last Sunday, 29^th January.

According to Xiomara Aviles, Director of the electoral register of the TSE, 760,785 Salvadorians consulted their voting centres.

Eugenio Chicas, President of the TSE, declared that contingency voting centres have been assigned to citizens who don’t have their correct address on their identification document (DUI). The International Convention Centre (CIFCO) in San Salvador is one of these centres for example.

NGOs begin campaigns to teach the population how to vote

A group formed by 18 NGOs launched a ‘Civic Education for Citizenship Participation’ campaign in the context of the upcoming elections last Friday 3^rd February.

According to representatives of the NGOs this campaign plans to encourage citizenship participation in the electoral process, informing where and how to vote, to ensure the population knows the new voting system.

There are 17 institutions that are participating, among them are ISD, UCA, CIS, FUSADES, Vota Joven, ARPAS y CREE.

TSE’s informative campaign to begin 10th February

After many days of delay, caused by the indecision of the magistrates of the TSE, they have finally been able to announce that they have reached an agreement to award the contract of the publicity campaign on how to vote to the three publicity agencies that obtained the highest scores during the bidding. Unanimously, the magistrates awarded 55% of the contract to Maxima Publicidad. This agency will have the job of broadcasting the information on how to vote. 35% of the contract refers to where people will vote, and has been placed in the hands of America Publicidad. The last 10% of the contract refers to the invitation to vote and has been awarded to the agency Anle.

The final cost of this nationwide publicity campaign will be $3.4 million.

 Tribunal Supremo Electoral (Supreme Electoral Tribunal)

DUI– Documento Único de Identidad (Unique Document of Identification)

RNPN– Registro Nacional de Personas Naturales (National Registry of Naturalized Persons)

PGR– Procuraduría General de la Republica. (National Attorney General)

JED– Junta Electoral Departamental (Departmental Election Board)

JEM– Junta Electoral Municipal (Municipal Election Board)

JRV– Junta Receptora de Votos. (Vote Receiving Table)

The Parties

The FMLN leadership asks the voters to vote for their flag

The leadership of the FMLN party called on its supporters to not become tangled up in the new system of voting and simply vote for the party flag, not for faces, in the upcoming elections.

“We defend what belongs to the people, we defend our party, we defend the flag, and we implore the people to vote for the flag, that’s what we have to ask,” said Medardo Gonzalez, leader of the political institution.

The Election Observation Project

OBJECTIVE:

To contribute to strengthening transparency in the election process in El Salvador and to have an impact on an informed debate on electoral reforms.

————–- o ———–—

If you have questions or coments you can write us at:

English Email:

electionmission@ cis-elsalvador.org

Spanish Email:

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Electoral Process Marches On

TSE without agreement on educational campaign for the voter

 With just 47 to go until the realisation of a new electoral process in El Salvador, the TSE has still been unable to agree on awarding the $4 million contract to the publicity company that won the bid, and so initiate its educational campaign to the voter. The President of the TSE made an urgent call to two of his co-magistrates to support the process of hiring a publicity company to begin the campaign that will orientate the population on how to vote.

ARENA instructs on how to vote for deputies

ARENA is realising its own educational campaign among the electorate about the new voting mechanisms for voting for deputies, in reaction to the delay on the part of the TSE in initiating this important phase of the 2012 electoral process. According to the director of information of the party, Ernesto Muyshondt, the house to house visits that the party is making as part of its electoral strategy are being used to orientate the voters about the various options of voting for future deputies.

CD asks the TSE for diligence

El Cambio Democratico party (CD) described as ‘painful’ the delay that the TSE has taken in launching the campaign to the voters on how to vote for mayors and deputies in the next elections.

The Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad signs letter of agreement with the TSE

The CIS has promised to support the process of Civic Education for the voting population in the areas of where and how to vote. The organisation has initiated, in coordination with the TSE, the training of its volunteers (community leaders) who will support this process in the municipalities in which the work of the CIS has an impact. 

ACRONYMS

TSE– Tribunal Supremo Electoral (Supreme Electoral Tribunal)

CE– Código Electoral (Electoral Code)

CSJ– Corte Suprema de Justicia.  (Supreme Court of Justice)

JED– Junta Electoral Departamental (Departmental Election Board)

JEM– Junta Electoral Municipal (Municipal Election Board)

JRV– Junta Receptora de Votos. (Vote Receiving Table)

Legally Enrolled Parties

PE. Partido de la Esperanza, (Hope Party, previously PDC)

PP-Partido Popular (Popular Party)

CN– Concertación Nacional (National Consensus, previously PCN)

FMLN– Frente Farabundo Martí  par la Liberación Nacional (Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front)

ARENA– Alianza Republicana Nacionalista (National Republican Alliance)

GANA– Gran Alianza por la Unidad Nacional (Grand Alliance for the National Unity)

CN– Concertación Nacional (National Consensus, previously PCN)

CD-  Cambio Democrático (Democratic Change)

PNL– Partido Nacional Liberal (National Liberal Party)

FPS– Fraternidad  Patriótica Salvadoreña (Salvadoran Patriotic Fraternity)

PE. Partido de la Esperanza, (Hope Party, previously PDC)

The Parties

FMLN does not have the votes to resolve the impasse in the TSE                

The FMLN bench was unable to convince the rest of the legislative factions to unblock the impasse between magistrates of the TSE that has prevented them contracting a publicity company to educate the voters about the new system of voting.

The provision presented by the FMLN proposes that this will be able to be approved with three and not four votes from the magistrates, in view of the fact that only Eugenio Chicas, Eduardo Urquilla, and Gilberto Canjura gave their votes for contracting the publicity company.

The commissions of Electoral Affairs and Finance met in the plenary session this week to try to search for an agreement, but decided to discuss the issue next week.                                               

Independent candidates resist the electoral struggle                    

While they have been unable to launch their electoral campaigns the independent candidates, aspiring to deputy positions in the next legislative period, say that they have managed to withstand the many obstacles put in front of them.

The deadline for the inscription of candidates before the TSE closed on Friday 20^th January. During the process there were initially 19 independents interested in a candidature, however in the end only five of these managed to register themselves.           

President Funes urges the voters not to vote for ARENA                   

The President of the Republic, Mauricio Funes, railed against ARENA and urged people to very carefully assess the electoral promises of the party. “It’s important that when you go to elect your new representatives think about how they behaved, those that now come to offer you heaven and earth; but have already had their opportunity, they have had twenty years of governance,” said Funes.

Funes said that the population must take a look at the recent past when candidates offer them the promise of resolving the problems of public security, health, and education, among other areas. “And haven’t they already had twenty years, then? And we have inherited this country, with all the problems that we now have,” he said, before adding that the party that ‘governed for twenty years’ is asking for the elimination of the school uniform, shoes, and supplies programme.