That’s All, Folks!

With the TSE officiating the close of El Salvador’s 2014 presidential elections and the US government joining the rest of the international community to recognize the results and congratulate President-elect Salvador Sánchez Cerén, we feel that now is the appropriate time to bring this blog to a close.

CISPES, US-El Salvador Sister Cities and the SHARE Foundation would like to thank the thousands of readers who have followed this blog throughout the course of these exciting and historic elections. We also thank all those who have contributed content.

Although this blog is closing, we will continue to generate news, analysis and calls for action on our organization’s individual pages. We encourage you to continue keep up with news and solidarity actions around El Salvador in this critical new era for the nation’s growing democracy—the need for international solidarity is now as great as ever!

CISPES: http://www.cispes.org/

 

US-El Salvador Sister Cities: http://www.elsalvadorsolidarity.org/

 

          The SHARE Foundation: http://www.share-elsalvador.org/

 

You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter via the links on the columns to the right.

Thanks, and ¡adelante!

John Kerry congratulates Salvador Sánchez Cerén

by CISPES

This morning, US Secretary of State John Kerry congratulated Salvador Sánchez Cerén for his election as president of El Salvador [full text after the jump].  The international solidarity community celebrates this important recognition of the decision made by Salvadoran voters at the polls on March 9th in elections the Organization of American States and the United Nations have applauded as highly transparent and fair. The US Embassy in El Salvador reiterated Kerry’s congratulations in a statement published on Twitter.

TSE Rejects ARENA’s Last Appeals, Announces Closure of Electoral Process

TSE Magistrates announced their decision Monday night

by CISPES

On the evening of Monday, March 24, El Salvador’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) officially closed the books on the 2014 presidential elections, announcing its dismissal of the last of ARENA’s appeals and declaring the results firm and final.

President and President-Elect Begin Transition, FMLN Announces New Ministries

by CISPES

On Monday, March 17, President Mauricio Funes convened a meeting between members of his cabinet and the planning commission assembled by President-elect Salvador Sánchez Cerén to begin the transition between administrations. “We promise the president-elect all of our collaboration, energy and willingness to work in order to guarantee the most orderly transition possible,” said Funes, adding that despite ARENA’s ongoing campaign against the nation’s democratic institutions, “for the President of the Republic and his team, it’s enough for us that the maximum [electoral] authority has made its verdict known to the people…to begin working.”

Mass Media a Key Ally In ARENA Destabilization Campaign

by CISPES

In the wake of El Salvador’s tight March 9^th Presidential elections, the country’s national commercial media, always notoriously conservative, have become active agents in spreading confusion and misinformation generated by the ARENA party in its quest to undermine El Salvador’s democratic institutions. The media’s complicity in ARENA’s campaign to contest the election results and generate political instability have drawn sharp criticism from across Salvadoran civil and political society.

TSE Formally Announces Sánchez Cerén As El Salvador’s President-Elect; ARENA Will Continue To Contest Results

by CISPES

On Sunday March 16^th, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) formally announced that FMLN candidate Salvador Sánchez Cerén is El Salvador’s new president-elect. Although the final review of the elections results finished on March 12^th, giving the FMLN the win 50.11% to 49.89%, the TSE was first obliged to respond to a series of formal petitions filed by the ARENA party calling to annul the elections before officially declaring a winner.

Rep. McGovern becomes 2nd congressperson to support the Electoral Tribunal

By CISPES

Joining Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA), Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) is now the 2nd U.S. congressperson to publish a statement commending El Salvador’s Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) for its “professionalism” and calling El Salvador’s elections “orderly, peaceful, free and fair.” McGovern also called on all political parties exercise “patience, calm and professionalism.” Rep. McGovern’s statements come as a result of a grassroots campaign to bolster international support for the TSE as it faces a right-wing assault from the losing ARENA party. Call your representative to ask that s/he join Reps. McGovern and Moran in making a public declaration in support of democracy in El Salvador.

Read the full text below.

Groups gather to applaud electoral authority

by CISPES

Photo: ContraPunto

Yesterday morning, with the final vote count finally finished, social movement organizations and civil society groups gathered at the Salvador del Mundo monument in San Salvador to celebrate that the count was finished and to demand that the country’s democratic institutions be respected.

Armed Forces reject ARENA’s call to intervene in elections

Minister of Defense at press conference to announce that Armed Forces will respect election outcome

On Wednesday March 12, 2014, David Mungía Payes, Minister of Defense, announced at a press conference that the Salvadoran armed forces would respect the outcome of the elections, refuting claims made by ARENA presidential hopeful Norman Quijano that the army was prepared to act to intervene in what ARENA claims are fraudulent elections.

U.S. Congressman applauds the Electoral Tribunal for final vote count

By CISPES

Rep. Jim Moran (D-VA) issued this bilingual statement  congratulating the Salvadoran people on their democratic election, applauding the Supreme Electoral Tribunal for its impartial and transparent management of the elections – especially the final vote count – and expressing his enthusiasm to continue good relations with El Salvador’s next president.

Read his full statement below: