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Operation Disrupt Democracy in El Salvador
Friday, 02 January 2009

from the January edition of Zmagazine

International observers have denounced recent activities of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) as designed to overthrow democratically elected presidents Evo Morales of Bolivia and Hugo Chavez of Venezuela. A similar strategy is underway to undermine the electoral process in El Salvador by striking fear and confusion into voters before legislative and presidential elections in 2009.

Since November 2007, El Salvador's leftist party, the FMLN (Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front), has been consistently polling at a 12-14 point advantage for upcoming legislative, municipal, and presidential elections—ahead of the right-wing ARENA (National Republican Alliance) party's presidential candidate and former national civilian police director, Rodrigo Avila, who has peaked at around 38 percent by conservative estimates. Because an FMLN victory could deal a profound loss to Washington and Wall Street by countering attempts to increase the corporate privatization of land and public services, business media and government officials have stepped up attempts to defeat them in the press and behind the scenes.

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Give the Gift of Solidarity
Sunday, 21 December 2008

salvador_del_mundo.jpgWe hope this finds you in the spirit of struggle and resistance! At this time of year, wouldn’t it be great to give a gift that helps to build a just economic alternative from the ground up?

This holiday season, we invite you to give the gift of solidarity!  Give to CISPES in honor of someone in your life would be inspired by our grassroots organizing to stop U.S.-backed repression and to stand up for sovereignty in Latin America.

If you make a donation of $40 or more to CISPES before January 1, we will send you (or as a gift to someone you choose) a collection of the news from the Salvadoran social movement (you won’t find that in the newspapers!), an 8.5 x 11 print of our solidarity mural, and a CD of revolutionary music from El Salvador to inspire you to keep on fighting for justice.

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Release: North American academics call for free and fair elections in El Salvador
Thursday, 18 December 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE **December 18, 2008**

 150 Latin America scholars denounce U.S. intervention in Salvadoran elections, call for democracy to be respected as campaigning intensifies ahead of January and March 2009 voting

**Contact: William Robinson, University of California-Santa Barbara - 805-259-5455**

(read the entire letter here )

A group of 150 scholars from universities and colleges in the United States and Candada have released an open letter calling on the U.S. and Salvadoran governments to ensure that El Salvador's upcoming elections are free of fraud, foreign intervention, and electoral violence.
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Pacific Rim Mining opens legal process against El Salvador under CAFTA laws
Tuesday, 16 December 2008

Also in this update:

mineria2.jpgOn December 9, 2008, Canadian-based Pacific Rim Mining Corp. filed a Notice of Intent (NOI) to begin arbitration proceedings against the government of El Salvador.  The NOI was filed under Central America-Dominican Republic-United States of America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) laws, and serves as the first step in opening up legal proceedings against El Salvador (Canada is not a member of CAFTA but the arbitration would be filed under its US-based subsidiary, Pac Rim Cayman.)  The company and country will have 90 days to amicably resolve their dispute.  If no resolution is reached by March 9, 2009 – just six days before the Salvadoran presidential election — Pacific Rim can then open arbitration proceedings under the Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes Between States and Nationals of Other States and under the Rules of Procedure for Arbitration Proceedings of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)—an affiliate of the World Bank.

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watch new video and join CISPES in El Salvador for the March 2009 elections!
Thursday, 18 December 2008

Watch the new video “Unidos por el Cambio” previewing the elections in El Salvador and highlighting the upcoming CISPES delegation!  You can order a copy of the video from CISPES and use it in your community to organize for the upcoming elections.

And, now’s the time to sign up to join CISPES in observing the elections from March 9-19, 2009! Recent polls in El Salvador show that the leftist FMLN party is 14 points ahead over the right-wing presidential candidate from the ruling party. You too can support free and fair elections and learn about the current situation in El Salvador by joining the CISPES delegation - the new deadline for applications is January 15, 2009

Read more about the delegation and watch the video!


 

 
Week of January 12-28: Action to Defend Free and Fair Elections
Wednesday, 10 December 2008

CISPES will hold a National Week of Action as part of our campaign to defend democracy and stop U.S.’ intervention in the municipal, legislative, and presidential elections of 2009.

The week of action will be from January 12-18 (The municipal and legislative elections in El Salvador take place on the 18th). We’ve chosen this week and weekend for actions because it is right before elections take place– this means that we will need to raise awareness to defend a victory or denounce fraud and/or US intervention.  CISPES committees around the U.S. as well as other allied organizations will hold public actions at some point during that week.  For more information contact This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it

 
President Saca offers $500 million to private and foreign banks
Thursday, 04 December 2008
FMLN demands that the money benefit small businesses and the agriculture industry

 also in this update:
  1. Mauricio Funes Travels to the U.S. to Meet with Leaders of Financial Organizations and the Organization of American States
  2. Funes and Sánchez Cerén Promise to Govern with Policies that will Benefit the Women of El Salvador
  3. Salvadorans Living Abroad Demand the Right to Vote

mujeres2.jpgIn mid-November, Salvadoran President Tony Saca, following in the footsteps of his mentor and ally George W. Bush, requested a $500 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to inject liquidity into private and foreign banks. Citing El Salvador 's Constitution, the opposition FMLN party (Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front) maintains that the loan must be approved by the Legislative Assembly. The Constitution of El Salvador requires all sovereign debt to pass a legislative debate and be approved by a two-thirds vote in the Assembly.

President Saca and his ARENA party (Nationalist Republican Alliance) contend that injecting money into the private and foreign banks will give Salvadoran businesses and industries access to loans. The FMLN wants conditions to apply to the IDB loan to make sure the money stays within the country and goes to small- and medium-sized businesses, as well as the agricultural sector.  Many international and domestic economists have agreed with the FMLN’s proposal, advising Saca that giving the money to private and foreign banks would be a mistake.  Renowned economist Juan Héctor Vidal explained, “In other circumstances these $500 million would be given through other intermediaries, but I would not give resources to the banks simply to palliate them; it is truly sad.”

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Stop CAFTA Coalition Releases Report on Three Years of Failed Trade Deal
Friday, 05 December 2008

Groups Who Opposed Central America Agreement Plan to Call for Suspension under Obama Administration

stopcafta.jpg
DECEMBER 4, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Katherine Hoyt, Nicaragua Network, (619) 423-2909

WASHINGTON, December 4.  Members of the Stop CAFTA Coalition, along with allies in Central America and the Dominican Republic, have compiled a report that describes the trends and impacts of the first three years of the U.S.-Dominican Republic- Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA).  The report, titled "DR-CAFTA: Effects and Alternatives" is the third in a series of reports by the Stop CAFTA Coalition; the first was published in September 2006 and the second in September 2007.  The latest report can be downloaded directly by clicking here.  All three are available at www.stopcafta.org.

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2009 CISPES International Observers/Solidarity Delegation: March 9-19
Monday, 14 July 2008

Recent polls in El Salvador show that the leftist FMLN party is 15% ahead over the right-wing presidential candidate from the ruling party. This only confirms what Salvadorans in the social movement, members of the FMLN, and the general public have been saying all along: El Salvador is the next in line to join the Latin American shift to the left!

The Committee with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) has a long solidarity relationship with the Salvadoran people. One way CISPES continues to support REAL democracy in El Salvador, opposing US economic, military, and political intervention, is by bringing international observers delegations to El Salvador. You too can support free and fair elections and learn about the current situation in El Salvador by joining the CISPES delegation from March 9-19, 2009.

Read more...
 
Elections Update: Obama letter, FMLN continues to lead, dirty campaign and attacks continue
Sunday, 30 November 2008

Impact of Obama victory in El Salvador; Open letter to president elect regarding upcoming election in El Salvador
obama_wa_post2.jpg
November 2008

The victory of Barack Obama in the United States was heralded in El Salvador, where people celebrated the end of 8 years of Republican rule. Perhaps most importantly, Obama’s victory was a major blow to the Salvadoran right-wing which has depended on a tight relationship with the Bush Administration to remain in power.  Many Salvadoran social movement leaders recognize that Obama’s victory only represents a possibility for change and that much work remains to be done to bring about a significant shift in US foreign policy.

The Coalition for Free and Fair Elections in El Salvador (which includes the Share Foundation, CISPES, US-El Salvador Sister Cities, and Voices on the Border) is collecting organizational signatures for an open letter to president-elect Barack Obama related to the upcoming elections in El Salvador.  The letter calls for US neutrality and non-intervention in the elections, and asserts that immigration policy will not be affected by the results; it also pledges that the undersigned organizations will take action should the State Department or Congressional members attempt to sway the results of the elections.  The letter can be downloaded at www.cispes.org/documents/Open_Letter_to_Obama_ElSalvador.pdf  

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