2012 Election Observation Mission Update

Meeting at the Procuradoría para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (Human Rights Ombudsman) on 25 January 2012.

Speaking with the president of the Registro Nacional de Personas Naturales (National Registry of Naturalized Persons) on 18 January 2012.

With election campaigns for diputados and alcades in full force, the Election Observation Mission has no trouble staying active. The long-term observation team expanded to three more members in the New Year, making a total eight full time volunteers from five different countries. Our agenda consists of establishing relationships with relevant institutions, getting to know the municipalities where observers will be present on Election Day (March 11), and tracking daily political news. This is the first year of major election reforms, including residential voting and the ability to vote for individual candidates, which means that our work on this mission will reveal stark changes in the process of democracy development in El Salvador.

We have been fortunate enough to have meetings with several agencies that are instrumental in the election process, including the Registro Nacional de Personas Naturales (RNPN), Policia Nacional Civil (PNC), and the Procuradoría para la Defensa de los Derechos Humanos (PDDH). The goal of these meetings is to understand the roles of these institutions in electoral facilitation. The principle theme that we are encountering is that the process of democracy development is only a small part of greater integration of the people of El Salvador. For example the RNPN, which issues national identification cards that allow people to vote, is concerned with creating an accurate list of eligible and legal voters. This task is part of the larger goal of documenting people so they have access to social services, education, and civil rights. We look forward continuing to understand from the inside and continuing our critical investigation of election structure.

On January 24, we visited the departments of Cabañas and Cuscatlán and spoke with representatives of the local Junta Electoral Municipal (JEM - boards formed during election periods to organize the logistics of voting) and introduced ourselves to members of the local police. Packed intimately in the CIS pickup, it was an incredible way to get acquainted with the countryside of El Salvador, not to mention that we extended our list of contacts. This opportunity to see where we will be working and engage local stakeholders allowed us to better understand how our work in San Salvador will translate in the field. Our next visits will be to the Departmento of La Libertad and municipalities within San Salvador.

Our workdays at CIS have consisted of learning about the new voting system, compiling press monitoring reports to create the weekly election bulletins, and briefings on the history, culture, and current political climate of El Salvador. As previously stated, this is the first year the greater part of the country will be voting at centers designated by their geographical residence, and ballots will have images of the diputados (legislative candidates) allowing voters to favor individual candidates in addition to political parties. CIS is working with other NGOs on voter education initiatives, including a how-to-vote workshop for the English school students of CIS. We also keep up-to-date news reports, read through the three main newspapers, watch T.V. news programs, listen to radio broadcasts, and take note of the vast amount of political propaganda that fills the streets.

As election time gets closer, our understanding of El Salvadorian democracy and elections becomes more comprehensive, and our enthusiasm for the work that we do increases. We look forward to deepening and expanding our relationships in the municipalities and watching the events of the elections unfold. For more weekly information on the development of the electoral campaigns see our Bulletin at the CIS websites.