On Sunday March 15th, I witnessed history in the making for the small Central American nation of El Salvador. Despite enormous obstacles and intimidation, the people of El Salvador came in droves to elect their next president, Mauricio Funes. Funes, represents the left wing party of the Farabundo Marti Liberation Front (FMLN) and his presidency signals the end of a 20-year rule of the right wing ARENA party and moreover, a turn from the 500 year conservative domination the country has experienced.
As an International Observer to the elections with the Committe In Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES), we were called to take on a very important roll. Some of our tasks included lobbying our representavies at home to place pressure on the Obama administration and the US Embassy representative in El Salvador, Robert Balu, to respect the Democratic process and to commit to non-intervention. Our efforts payed off and statements were released by both. Additionally, the delegation held a press conference to publicize our concerns about the rampant fear campaigns the right-wing media outlets were pushing regarding remittances and withdrawl of Temporary Protective Status for Salvadorans living in the US. We also spoke about the fraud that had been committed during the Municipal Elections in January, possibly repeating itself again during the Presidential elections.
With over 60 observers, we were split into smaller groups of 6 and sent all over the country to observe. I found myself in a small conservative town called Tejutepeque for 15 hours, monitoring the electoral process. It was an exhausting day watching and documenting everything. We also received and investigated several reports of Hondurans being bussed in to vote on false voter ID cards that had been made with the names of people who had since passed away -- a huge problem for the electoral process here is that they have not purged the names and numbers of people who have died in nearly 20 years.
As the polls closed and we monitored the counting of ballots, reports began to trickle in from the small cantons across the country. Outside the small cultural center we were manning, we could hear a rally taking place in the streets and loud cheers as the numbers began to be released. While the center we were at was won by ARENA, the even smaller town of Sinquera, where we were staying - was won by the FMLN. Upon our arrival there, we went to the Parque Central to listen to the official announcement by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal...Mauricio Funes of the FMLN won! The makeshift church bell - which was really two old bomb casings that are propped up in front of the church - were rung steadily, fireworks exploded, and people of all ages and abilities came out of their small homes to celebrate. One of the most touching moments I experienced, was watching this old woman crying and raising her fist into the air hollering at the top of her lungs, "we are free, we are free, thank you god we are finally free!"
This monumental win is not just that of the political party, it is that of a social movement that has been crushed by fear, political violence, fraud and U.S. intervention for decades. Perhaps now the hopes and dreams that so many Salvadorans envisioned would come from the 1992 Peace Accords can finally become a long awaited reality.
