Salvadoran Elections

March 2012. El Salvador, Central America. Nine political parties. Every mayoral position up for grabs. And all 84 congressional seats. While this may not be a presidential election, this is a very significant electoral event in the democratic process of El Salvador. I'm Volunteering with the Center for Interchange and Solidarity(CIS). CIS started observing elections in 1994, the first year I was here as an observer. I was here again in 2004 observing in El Paraiso, and also in Chalatenango city in 2009 when the FMLN won the presidency with the nation electing Mauricio Funes. People said it was the culmination of 75 years of "la lucha". Now we are less than a week away from March 11th, another election day in El Salvador. For the first time there will be residential voting throughout much of the country. Many Salvadorans who previously had to hitch a ride in the back of a pickup to vote in the next town, will now be able to walk to their village grade school to vote. This will make it much easier for many Salvadorans to exercise their right to vote. However, when they get to the voting site they will encounter a far more complicated ballot. Actually there will be two separate ballots. One for electing the mayors. That vote is traditional and relatively easy. Just mark the symbol of your favorite party and you are done. The people here are accostumed to marking the party symbol. With the easy vote out of the way a voter will then have to deal with the ballot for congressonal seats, or "diputados" for the Assembly. Each department of El Salvador is apportioned seats based on its population. For example, Chalatenago has three seats. San Salvador, with its much larger concentration of people, has twenty-five. And there are independent candidates not affiliated with any party. They appear on the bottom of the ballot. (Insert picture of sample Ballot for Diputados) Keep in mind there are alot of illiterate folks here, many who can't read or even sign their names. They "sign" the voting register with their thumb print. Then their thumb is dipped into ink showing that they have voted. Sometimes you can tell which way a person has voted. If they give a thumbs up sign it's the ARENA party salute. Flashing a V with your two fingers indicates you favor La Frente, the FMLN. (Insert picture of Jorge Shafik in crowd flashing V) I have to remind myself to be alert to my own hand gestures. As observers we need to remain neutral throughout all of this. Rosita from Guarjila explains the various voting options. (Insert picture of Rosita showing "Formas de Votar" But, Moncho is still puzzled by the complexity of the ballot. (Insert picture of Moncho, Dallas hat holding ballot) If you are voting in San Salvador, here is what your ballot for diputados looks like: (Insert picture of Ballot, Red Background) That's right. Pictures of the 25 assembly candidates for each of the nine political parties. This is the first time that pictures of assembly candidates will appear on the ballot. Your vote for the candidate of your choice will influence the election outcome. Yet, I fear that many people know little about these candidates. Last week I visited the small community of Teosinte in Chalatenango Department. This is one of the repopulated communities. They are highly favorable to the FMLN. In Chalatenango there are three seats up for grabs. And the FLMN has three candidates. I asked Yolanda if she knew who the candidates were. She could only name one. I'm not here in El Salvador just to observe elections. I'm here to be with family and friends. Some 20 years ago the good folks from several of the repopulated communities in Chalatenango invited churches to sister, or twin with them. I'm proud to say that today, there are three Milwaukee area Catholic churches, as well as the Lutheran Synod of Wisconsin, with 20 years of sistering with communities of El Salvador. International solidarity is strong and essential to our world today. So, I come to be with friends and family. The week before joining the Elections Delegation at CIS I traveled north to the Department of Chalatenago. It was Ash Wednesday in Guarjila, a humbling call to conversion. (Insert Picture of priest, sister, and priest giving out ashes) Life goes on in El Salvador. The struggle is an everyday challenge. But, amid the pain and suffering there is joy and celebration of life and love. On a national level there are roads to build. The Longitudinal del Norte. It's part of the Fomilenio Project funded primarily by US tax dollars. (Insert picture of road building for new highway) Two year old Alan imitates the road builders in his own back yard in Guarjila. (Insert picture of Alan with his road building toys) Some of the kids go off to school. (Insert picture of two girls) But not all. (Insert picture of little boy with cattle in front yard) The women stay at home and prepare tomales. (Insert picture of Juanita Morales' mother and young girl making tomales.) Later that night some party officials hold an assembly to train party workers how to count the ballots on election day. It will be a challenging task. (Insert picture of man in Chevy T-shirt using PowerPoint presentation in Guarjila) I was blessed with the chance to visit with Jaime and his girl friend Etelvina. Jaime is a university student in engineering. A small group from my church are helping Jaime with a scholarship. Education is a major key to the future of the youth of El Salvador. Jaime has two more years to go. His father was killed in the war. (Insert picture of Jaime and Etelvina and her younger brother in Guarjila) There is life to be celebrated. And hope for the future. In the nearby small town of Guancora, now know as Communidad Ignacio Ellacuria, I visited with the Alas family. Salvador and Pastora are among the many repopulated survivors of the years of the massacres. One of their daughters, Miriam, had actually visited me in Milwaukee some eight years ago. She was very surprised to see a picture of her grandparents hanging on my office wall. I had no idea who they were. I had taken the pictures on my first visit to Guancora in 1991. We have been family ever since. Here is Dylan, Miriam's first born, now my grandson, getting a bath. (Insert picture of young Dylan being bathed by his aunt Sandra) Life can be cruel in Guancora. Two years ago I was here to witness the building of an adobe home on the outskirts of Guancora for Vilma and her son Steven. Then, a year later they had added an addition, a separate small structure to serve as their kitchen. Three days before I arrived in Guancora this time, the kitchen had burned down while the family was away. The spot where the kitchen was located is now just a smoldering pile of cinders. (Insert picture of ash heap from fire) Steven's few meager toys were also destroyed in the fire. There is no electricity to their home. But, they still have a shower. (Insert picture of Steven bathing) I asked Vilma if she would rebuild. She replied, "if God wills". That Friday we walked the Stations of the Cross, the Via Crucis, with the people of Guancora. (Insert picture of community walking up the street) Maria carried the cross up the hill to station number 12, Jesus dies on the cross. (Insert picture of Maria placing the cross on the ground) Across the street from station 12 is a small structure, now a museum, where two of Maria's children died in a military gunship attack on the village in February 1990. Maria experiences the stations of the cross every day as she walks to and from her home on this very street. Every now and then I am privileged and humbled to physically walk with her. I think of her most every Friday as she walks past this sacred place. On Saturday I met with a small group of veterans who are organizing to fight for some benefits as Salvadoran veterans. Because I had sistered with them for so many years they named me an honorary veteran of El Salvador. I am humbled and gracious for their gifts of friendship and solidarity. (Insert picture of Veterans group in office in Chalatenango) These is a bit of what I experience when I come to El Salvador. These are some of the people who have called me friend, compadre, brother, father, grandfather. CIS facilitates my relationships and my ministry with the people of El Salvador. I owe much to CIS and all those who work and volunteer at CIS. It's a wonderful family to be part of. I try, in the small way that I can, to contribute to the ongoing mission of CIS. Back in the capital of San Salvador we met with some of the political parties and members of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE). Jorge Schafik, son of Shafik Handel, is the FMLN candidate for mayor of the capital city of San Salvador. He explained the party platform to our group of observers. (Insert picture of candidate Shafick holding fold-out) I'll be observing in the town of San Jose Villanueva, where the voting population is close to 13,000 people. I expect the one main school building where voting will occur will be jam packed all day next Sunday. It will be quite a priviledge to observe, and a long day at that. Preparations for voting begin at 5am. The Voting Center opens at 7am, closes at 5pm. It's going to be a long, hot day. And then the counting of the ballots. I hope we're done by midnight. But, they are predicting a long night. And the people will be awaiting the results. Back home in Milwaukee my dear wife Maureen is still shoveling snow off the driveway! I wouldn't be here without her love and support. Besos, mi amor.