¡Schafik Presente! “Si me van a recordar

que me recuerden exactamente como he sido. Como un luchador cuya bandera principal que siempre empuñó es la bandera de la democracia en el país, para abrir al pueblo salvadoreño la posibilidad de decidir por sí mismo. Ese ha sido el hilo conductor de toda mi lucha…”

-Schafik Hándal

¡ Hasta La Victoria Siempre!

The CISPES delegation to Observe the 2009 Legislative and Municipal Elections in El Salvador

Outline for Presentation1. Headed into the

Elections2. What’s at stake?3. Strategy of the FMLN

and the social movement

4. The dangerous and desperate efforts of the right-wing

5. Victory in January!6. Call for solidarity

Turning Point: 2009

January 18, Legislative and Municipal Elections March 15, Presidential Elections Polls show strong support for the FMLN, for Mauricio

Funes and Violeta Menjívar, mayor of San Salvador

What’s at Stake?Crisis in El Salvador Strict implementation

of free trade policies and privatization; Dollarization

Massive corruption by the right-wing oligarchy

Impunity; right-wing control of state institutions

Violence and organized crime

From Below, from Within and to the Left: Strategies of the Left

What factors explain the massive support for the FMLN?

1. Organized social movement and relation to the party; grassroots organizing

2. “The Formula”3. Open Social Dialogue4. Good governance

The organized social movement Struggle against

CAFTA Victory in the

struggles against water privatization and health care privatization

Social movement structure; relationship to the party

Victory against Privatization!

Nace la Esperanza, Viene el Cambio In November,

2007, the FMLN launches the Presidential Campaign for 2009 with the presidential “formula” Mauricio Funes and Salvador Sanchez Cerén

The Open Social Dialogues An international

process to develop the platform of the FMLN

“The launch of participatory democracy in El Salvador”

Somos El Cambio: Governance in FMLN municipalities “We will win by

being good government in the places where we already govern”

Examples in Mejicanos and San Salvador

Creating the alternatives, building trust

Strategy of a (fractured) right-wing

1. U.S.-sponsored repression against the social movement

2. Political assassinations in the pre-electoral period

3. Dirty Campaign4. Control of the electoral apparatus5. Fraud

State repression and U.S. intervention

The ILEA and Plan Mexico

Repression against the social movement: 2006-2009

Political assassinations since the opening of the ILEA in 2006

Political Violence Attacks on FMLN

activists Resurgence of

death-squad style killings

Demand of the FMLN before the TSE, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal

U.S. Intervention

Threats of retaliation in 2004

The FARC and the “Magic Laptop”

Puppets of Chavez Silence=Complicity

“La Guerra Sucia”: Fuerza Solidaria

“Un grupo fantasma”

Relentless attacks on Funes and Sanchez Cerén

Threats of U.S. retaliation

Public campaigning in El Salvador

“La Guerra Sucia” in San Salvador & Role of the Media

“Los Grupos Armados” Threat of the

“Armed Groups” Justification to send

military out to countryside, FMLN strongholds

Fears of the war, voter supression

Role of State Institutions Politicized nature

of the TSE Use of state

resources Demands made by

FMLN: political violence, slander, campaigning by Fuerza Solidaria

Behind the Scenes:“El fraude sútil”

The padrón and the National Registry

What allows for this? Control of DUIs and lack of access to the National Registry

Voter mobilization in San Salvador; Three years in the making

The foreign vote Buses detained

from Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua

Lack of action by Attorney General and Police

Citizen action! San Isidro, arrests, closing the borders

Celebracion!!

The results: Victory for the FMLN!

Municipalities: 96! Special and symbolic victory in Izalco,

Morazán, Usulután Legislative Assembly: 35 seats, the

most of any political party FMLN nearly 100,000 votes over

ARENA in total vote The first political force in the country!

International Observers

CISPES denouncements Press conference Radio interviews Lack of action by

OAS and EU observers

Report to be publicized in El Salvador and in the U.S.

Onwards towards March! Strategy of the

FMLN Critical role of

international observers

Action and solidarity from within the U.S.

Solidarity strategy to defend an FMLN victory

Building Popular Power: From Below, From Within and to the Left!