>Stunning Victory For El Salvador's Left
>
>From: CISPES-LA [mailto:cispeslosangeles at yahoo.com]
>
>El Salvador's Left Party, FMLN, Wins Incredible
>Victories In March 16 Elections; Capital City Of San
>Salvador Won By FMLN--- 10 Of 14 Major Metropolitan
>Cities Go To Former Rebels; Fmln Advances In Assembly
>
>by CISPES-LA
>
>Early results of the March 16 elections in El Salvador
>have supporters of the FMLN dancing in the streets.
>The FMLN [Farabundo Marti Front for National
>Liberation] swept to victory in ten of the fourteen
>major cities around the capital, winning the mayor's
>offices in San Salvador, Santa Ana, Zacatecaluca,
>Tejutecupeque and Usulutan. The FMLN won in the three
>largest municipalities in the country. Santa Tecla and
>Soyapango went to the FMLN by two-to-one margins.
>
>CISPES election monitors in the country reported FMLN
>victory parties going into the early morning hours as
>election results clearly indicated a major advance for
>El Salvador's Left. The FMLN carried out the armed
>struggle in El Salvador from 1980 to 1992 when a peace
>agreement was signed. Since the war, the FMLN has made
>steady advances in the electoral arena as the second
>most powerful party in the country.
>
>The right-wing ARENA party holds the presidency and
>controls a powerful voting bloc in the Legislative
>Assembly. The momentum of the March 16 victory,
>according to many observers, could propel the FMLN into
>a presidential victory in two years.
>
>Reports from El Salvador indicate that the FMLN will
>hold more seats in the unicameral National Assembly
>than any other party when all results are in.
>Spokespersons for the FMLN pointed out that the
>struggle against the privatization of El Salvador's
>human services---including the health care system now
>under attack---will be much stronger with the FMLN
>advances in the legislative branch.
>
>The victory for mayor of San Salvador was especially
>heartening to progressive forces in the country. The
>right-wing ARENA candidate, Evelyn Jacir de Lovo, was
>ahead in the polls until recently and outspent the FMLN
>candidate, Carlos Rivas Zamora, by a wide margin.
>
>Coming from behind, Zamora scored a decisive and
>stunning victory which even impressed the right-wing
>newspapers of the capital. They printed scores of
>photos of fist-pumping, cheering and hugging FMLN
>militants---many of them young people and dressed in
>the red color of the Front---celebrating the victory.
>
>Large numbers of international election observers from
>various countries and organizations---including several
>delegations from Los Angeles---spread across the
>country to document irregularities.
>
>A CISPES delegate reported this morning by phone that
>"the FMLN and progressive forces in the country are
>jubilant and the struggle against privatization has
>received a strong positive jolt." [Further updates from
>CISPES in the coming days.]
>
>===== CISPES Committee In Solidarity With The People of
>El Salvador 8124 West 3rd Street L.A. Ca. 90048
>323-852-0721 Founded: 1980 - 22 Years of Solidarity
>
>[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
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