Sticky Electoral Process

It is hard to believe I have already been here three weeks! The time certainly has gone by quickly, mostly because it has been packed with activities and meetings. We have met with four of the six political parties, members of the Salvadoran groups that monitor the electoral process, representatives of the Organization of American States and election organizers in order to get a complete sense of what the two elections will look like. 

El Salvador's elections will happen in two rounds this year. Presidential elections happen every five years while legislative and municipal elections happen every three years, so that means that every fifteen years El Salvador is due for two elections at once. This year however, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal decided to separate the elections by two months. The municipal and legislative elections occur in January, but most voters will take the effort to vote for the president in March. The change of plans will cost five million dollars, not to mention the fact that people in rural communities have to transport themselves to voting centers twice if they wish to participate. Considering that bus fare can cost as much as a day's wage ($2), it is unlikely that the majority of voters will show up on both days, but the Tribunal (which is dominated by the right wing) didn't seem to take that into consideration. 

This would not be as large of an issue if it weren't for the fact that people have to travel long distances to arrive at voting centers, only to wait in long lines and in the case of farmers who even work on Sundays (the designated election day), lose a day of work. The FMLN, the left-wing political party, has proposed residential voting in order to help resolve the problem, but their opponents in the Tribunal declare that it would take too much money. However, an experiment in bringing voting centers closer to the people will be carried out in one state in 2009 in order to see whether there is greater voter turn-out. Considering that the highest turn-out rate ever is predicted for these elections, it is likely that the experiment will show positive results and hopefully encourage such a system to spread throughout the country in the future. 

Unfortunately getting people out to vote is not going to solve all of the problems with the electoral process here. The main concern that we have heard from almost everyone so far is regarding a concept called "firma y sello" - signature and stamp. When Salvadorans pick up their ballot, the official at the table is required to sign and stamp the ballot in order to show that it is a valid ballot. But when people show up wearing their party's colors, officials in the past have pretended (but failed) to sign or stamp the ballot because they are members of the opposing party, thus making the vote null. So there has been much debate regarding whether to simply get rid of the sign and stamp law, or to provide some other oversight to ensure that no valid vote becomes null, but no agreement has been made and everyone has a different idea as to whether or not the sign and stamp will be (or should be) required. All this confusion will carry into election day and allow for even more manipulation. For example, a voter could show up at the table and demand that their ballot be stamped and signed, but the official may insist that it is unnecessary under a new law, even if such a law is not passed. What a mess. 

And I still haven't mentioned the sticky situation regarding the voter identification process. A private business issues everyone's DUI, or official form of identification, to natural citizens who are 18 or older without government oversight. Then when one registers to vote, their photo is placed next to their name on a list that is displayed at the voting center where the voter is registered. Here are some of the problems among many: sometimes the photos differ, the ink on the DUI has been known to rub off, some people don't have an official address, or they wish to vote where they work instead of where they live. This, like the stamp and signature question, has been one of the main concerns of voters and officials alike. 

From what I can tell, the overarching problem facing the electoral process is that everything is controlled by the political parties. There is not a single Salvadoran non-partisan group that has responsibility for ensuring that the process is carried out smoothly. The hierarchy of assemblies that organizes the elections and enforces electoral law is represented by members of the political parties that won the most votes in the previous elections. This means that in most, if not all, of the municipalities have one ARENA member (right wing), one FMLN member (left wing), one PCN member (right wing), and then two of the so-called centrist parties who are small and somewhat disorganized. This means that in the five-member assemblies the right with almost always outnumbers the left, thus giving them an advantage in decision making or "law enforcement".

The solution is not as easy as creating a non-partisan organization out of thin air because polarization between left and right has created an atmosphere where standing in the middle is not an option. I think this stems from the civil war and the struggle for control, not only of politics, but of capital. Two factors have the potential to quell some of this animosity. One, that the FMLN presidential candidate was not a party member until they proposed to put him on the ballot. He has many proposals that would potentially shift the party line more toward the center. Secondly, the vice-presidential candidate for ARENA formerly had sympathies toward the FMLN and simply jumped on the ARENA ballot for political convenience. He also may have the tendency to move the far right-wing party a little closer to the middle. Regardless of who "wins" the presidency, party lines will change somewhat and hopefully the polarization will be lessened.

But I shouldn't fall into the trap that I see in the media here. The legislative elections are also an important opportunity to see change of power. As soon as I get some more research done on that front I will report some more. Another topic I will just have to save for next time in the name of brevity is the "dirty campaigns," or the slander used by the right wing to invoke fear in poor people. But more on that later.

On a more personal note...

I have decided to move into my own apartment. I can live more inexpensively, closer to the office, and have some more independence. As much as I love Rosita y Angel, I think the benefits of living alone outweigh the benefits of staying put. And so... those of you coming to visit will have a place to stay! 

My First Week in San Salvador

My first few days in El Salvador have already been enlightening. I was delighted to find that my host family, an older couple with a lovely house in a safe and quiet colonia, are vegetarian and rather progressive. During the first dinner I ate with them we delved straight into participatory democracy (obviously one of my favorite subjects) and Angel was right on the ball. He is an active participant in the FMLN party who helps organize and inform the public. Both of them criticize the media here, so they bought a subscription to National Geographic. Rosita and I had a great conversation about women's rights and how they should be better protected here by the state while I savored the hot chocolate that she makes from scratch by grinding the cacao with sugar and mixing it with warm milk. I am so happy to be in such good company because I think the coming months are going to be increasingly taxing. 

My first week at CIS, Centro de Intercambio y Solidaridad (Center for Exchange and Solidarity) was great. I found that I will be working with a very educated and determined group of people. Most of us are recent college graduates, two are on post-graduate scholarships (one fulbrighter), one is a lawyer, and one is a former sub-director of the peace corps. While it seems that all of us have fairly progressive views, we know that biased views don't have a place in our mission. Regardless of which party or candidate we favor in El Salvador, we must investigate and criticize each of them with equal rigor in order to defend and promote democratic processes here. 

CIS has come to be known as the most moderate observation mission because of the fact that it is not invited or funded by ANY political party, whether it be from El Salvador or the US. It was here for the first elections following the peace accords and has since become involved in various organizations that promote human rights, economic empowerment, and social justice. Several of the people we met with this week have read former CIS observation reports and they complimented the organization on its solid work.

Over the last 5 days we have been meeting constantly with different political parties and electoral officials to get a better sense of the political atmosphere. We diligently write down what worries each party, what actions they are taking to resolve their concerns, and their party platforms. There are six political parties that will have candidates on the municipal and legislative ballots, but two of them currently dominate most seats. As I continue to learn more about each party I will try to write a synopsis here. 

I also had the opportunity to see both of the major party candidates speak at the Central American University to packed auditoriums. Mauricio Funes, the candidate for "leftist" FMLN, is a very eloquent speaker with a solid record as a quality jounalist. The candidate for right wing ARENA, Rodrigo Avila, was formerly the chief of police and owns a private security company. While Funes gave plenty of his time to thoroughly explain his platform and answer many questions from the audience, Avila spoke briefly using many personal anecdotes and answered few questions. The least biased poll to be released so far has Funes at 15% ahead of Avila, the best the party has performed since its formation in 1980. This is due in large part to the more centrist position that Funes has struck in order to real in former ARENA supporters who have seen its failures, but Funes will not succeed as a president if his party does not win much needed seats in the legislature. So, I feel my position is validated by the strong competition and the need for free and fair elections here. 

If only we could get international observers to come to America....

This weekend I am going to get to know my neighborhood and celebrate a co-observer's birthday. My next posts may be getting specific, so feel free to shoot questions at me if you are interested in the elections. 

Antigua Disappoints

This is my last post "from the road"! Tomorrow I will arrive at my host family's home in El Salvador and start a new type of adventure. I'm thrilled that I will be able to unpack my bag and be settled down in one place. Of course I have enjoyed immensely this journey, but it is time to get to work, have focus, and make a positive impact. 

The last few days I have been camped out in a hostel in Antigua taking advantage of free wireless internet to stay updated on happenings in El Salvador and do some investigating of other matters (which will be published here in a few days). I met this absolutely insane Puerto Rican dude who was staying in the same room as me and we ran around the city good-heartedly poking fun at the gazillions of foreigners that wander the streets. Antigua is super popular for language courses and the system is evidently well-established. Most of the cafes, restaurants, and hostels have wireless internet and the food caters to international tastes. When I meet Guatemalans the first thing they ask is where I am taking courses, but when I met a North American dude he said that he was easily getting away without learning any Spanish - he spends his time with other people from all over the world. It is crazy because it is apparently one of the richest cities in the country, but the streets are in pretty rough conditions and locals are still pushed to immigrate due to economic need. Tons of Americans and Europeans have put up bars and restaurants, but that doesn't do much for the people who live here. I have mixed feelings about Antigua; on the one hand it is beneficial to have internet and fun to meet people from all over the place, but on the other it seems like neocolonialism is now imposed by young expatriates who exploit the cheap goods and labor to achieve their capitalist goals. 

I read an article in a "locally published" English language magazine written by and for these very expatriates. This specific article was written by the owner/manager of the most popular bar in town - Cafe NoSé - and it encouraged people to follow his lead because it is fun and adventurous. I can totally understand his perspective, and I guess that has something to do with why I embarked on this journey in the first place, but I have seen no evidence of exchange between the Guatemalan community and the literally hundreds of foreigners that have transplanted themselves. If there is no exchange, then neither culture/community/group benefits from the aspects that the other has to offer. Maybe I am being overly critical of something that I only spent a week observing, but it makes me sad to see people isolate themselves in North American/European culture while they are living in Guatemala. 

I know a lot of people from Seattle have done programs here in Antigua, so please do reply with comments if you had different experiences. 

I had an intense conversation last night with one of the guys who works at the hostel, Mario. He lives in a small village about 6 km from Antigua with his parents and seven(!!) brothers and sisters.  Most of the family works on their small farm or sells the produce in the local market, except for the eighth brother who moved to the US a little over a year ago. Mario's brother worked in one of the biggest meat-packing plants in Iowa, but five months ago the plant was raided and he was sent to jail. In a week he will be back in Guatemala... after five(!!!) months in jail. Mario didn't say what kind of documents (if any) his brother had, or how he had arrived in Iowa, but we both agreed it was ridiculous that he had to stay in jail for so long only to be sent back. His is just one out of thousands of such stories nowadays. 

What a bunch of racist BS if you ask me. Probably without realizing it US citizens reject Guatemalans both in the US and in Guatemala. Lets have more dialogue and exchange so that we don't continue to reject each other. 

Lago Atitlán

My friend took this picture... He wanted me to strike a pose, but instead I was telling him to forget it and give me back the camera. Haha, it made for a funny facial expression. 

I took this shot to capture the face at the bottom left, but I dig the rasta dude on the bike too.

We never figured out what happened to this bus, but it was all sorts of broken and we got stuck in a long line behind it. The location is "Alaska," the highest point on the Inter-American Highway.... lots of clouds, but when they clear you can see the surrounding volcanoes. 

Lago Atitlán... The closest peak is Cerro de Oro (Hill of Gold) and beyond that is one of the 3 volcanoes that borders the lake. 

In Santiago, one of the villages that borders the lake, as well as in the surrounding mountainsides, people use terraces to grow crops like onions, potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and strawberries. 

On the edge of a playing field some kid wrote "I'm in love"... I thought it was cute.

Along this part of the coast there are hot springs that run into the lake. Of course I did some serious enjoying around there. 

Panajachel, Guatemala.

From San Cristobal I took a van/bus to Lago Atitlan in Guatemala. Wow... They say it is one of the seven wonders of the world for a reason. I met a friend within the first few minutes that I got there because all the people are very friendly and welcoming of tourists - their main source of income. I took his advice and headed for the "beach", which was really a series of rock walls cascading toward the water. I stayed the first two nights in a nice hotel with a great view of the volcanoes that surround the lake and enjoyed hot springs that flow into the lake in a couple of secluded areas. I got to know a couple of the villages in the area just by walking around and talking to people.

My new friend knew all the good spots to swim and see the views. It was obvious that he was along for the ride - as long as I paid the fare, he would show me what was good about everything. But on the third morning when I took some time to use the internet and eat by myself, a young woman approached me in the restaurant to show me the scarves she was selling. We got to talking a little bit about the area and when I told her that I was planning to head to San Pedro (a village 30 minutes away by boat) she became nervous and warned me against traveling alone with him. She said the local young men had been known to take foreign women to several spots and then steal their posessions. Of course I got nervous too and no longer wanted to go with my "friend".

So I went off to San Pedro by myself and found a party town full of drunken and stoned tourists. Annoyed by their antics, I spent one night in a dingy hotel (with an amazing view) and spent the morning walking along the lake. I found several small farms that touch the water and took advantage of the tranquility to take a dip, but by noon I decided to head back to Panajachel, the biggest of the villages bordering the lake, to buy a bus ticket for Antigua. 

Having arrived in Antigua, I am impressed by the number of foreigners here. The cafe where my long walk around town had me end up is full of accents from around the world and the food reflects its clientele. I had a grilled tofu and red pepper salad (YES!) while enjoying some down time with my new book - Who Killed the Bishop? The Autopsy of a Political Murder - a true story about the assassination of a pro-human rights catholic bishop in Guatemala. It reads like a crime novel but is based on interviews and facts from the investigation. It has me in the political mindset, so I think I will follow up with a couple of political posts. 

Oaxaca photos a little late

        

I love Radiohead too!! But I don't know Princesa well enough yet. 

This Virgin has a scary face, but I was impressed with the way the artist used paint and colored paper to make this piece on the wall. 

This piece was next to the one above and used the same media. If you look closedly you can see a clock, a painting, and a table with a lamp... Probably the most impressive two pieces I saw in Oaxaca. 

Rather angry anarchists... 

Ah, los Zapatistas are always among us. See the post below for my experience with a guerrilla group... encantadores. 

San Cristobal de Las Casas Rocks!

Saludos desde Chiapas! I am in San Cristobal de Las Casas, enjoying the cool mountain air and wonderful people. Yesterday I arrived en la madrugada (really early in the morning) after a long night in the bus, but a cup of locally grown coffee spurred me into the streets. It didn't take long before I ran into a revolutionary selling documentaries and movies for the cause. I bought their magazine and three documentaries; one about Plan Puebla-Panama that documents the negative effects that further free trade agreements will have on Mexico and Central America, one about the "The Other Campaign", or the campaign run by Zapatistas in 2006 that ran against corporate funded presidential candidates with a revolutionary message, and one about a guerrilla group that defends the people Mexico using violence only when violently attacked. All three are documentaries that are hard to come by. The information is highly controversial for public consumption, but there are truths and realities out there that only reveal themselves when one delves below the shallows of corporate media.
I had no idea that guerrillas were so active in Mexico. I thought for sure that was a phenomenon of the '60s and early '80s. But according to the new information I have, they currently arrange brigades to teach and bring medical care to impoverished regions and they even organize on campus at the National University in Mexico, DF. In fact, the struggles of revolutionary students have won them campus space (offices!) from which to organize, there are departments that help sponsor student groups, and the university funds supplies they need (like paper for printing magazines!). They are active on campus, in los campos, and in the barrios, and each member rotates through all of the jobs depending on what is needed. Their popularity in the community was evidenced by the fact that many people stopped by to search for the information they would not find in many other places, even the tour guides told tourists about the group that was handing out information about the Zapatistas, etc (even though the tourists were probably not given any other information regarding the importance of this guerrilla and social movement to the area), and many people gave a friendly wave to the "tabler" (although w/o table) as they walked along doing their daily business. Chiapas is sweet like that.

Then I had a fascinating encounter in a coffee shop called Natura yesterday morning. I met a Mexican business man who comes directly from Spain (his grandparents and parents are Spanish). His family is huge in the wine industry and has lived the American dream in Mexico. Now he is taking over most of the business and investing a ton of money into a blackberry growing business in Chiapas. He proudly boasts of high wage rates and health programs for his workers and their families and even talked about the new green and renewable energy sources used in all his endeavors. Later he took me to see the local businesses where he sells wines, jams, and various artesanía and he answered questions about local plants and the fair price for organic soap ($2.50). He encourages "foreign investment" but in partnership with the locals which is how he and 100 or more foreign associates he prodded toward Mexico. He says he gets joy from seeing happy peasants in Chiapas who are making two to three times more working for Marco than for themselves or other big businesses. He brings the investment, they get the jobs, everything is done organically and with the best interest of the local environment in mind. Being the critic of capitalist ventures that I am, questioned his good intentions and assumed that Marco was making millions for himself in a greedy fashion. But after drinking like 10 cups of coffee and taking a long walk around el centro, meeting friends from all over the world (including Seattle!) I came to realize that he is one of the amazing people that can distribute wealth without being forced by the state, or anyone for that matter. If more people with the energy to make and spend money would learn from Marco's model, we would live in a more green and healthy world where all people would benefit from a redistribution of wealth. When he provides for his workers and the local community, he benefits and they benefit. He talked about real people-to-people fair trade that eliminates the unfair gains of corporate greed. Someday I would like to take on a similar venture, but probably someplace besides Mexico since there are already plenty of people doing it here.

I'm currently trying to stay caught up on research to prepare me for my arrival in El Salvador. I'm watching a great documentary called "Compañero!" about a great CISPES organizer. You too can watch it at cispes.org/blog