Media Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Congressional Leader Joins Salvadoran Community in Speaking out About Upcoming Presidential Elections in El Salvador
Nearly 30 Members of Congress Sign Letter Urging President Obama to Declare Neutrality and Call for Fair and Transparent Elections
What: Representative Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) holds a Press Conference regarding the March 15 elections in El Salvador
When: Thursday, March 5th, 2009 at 3:30pm.
Where: Cannon Terrace, at the corner of Independence and New Jersey Avenue, near the Capital building, Washington DC
Contact: (English) Daniel Brito, office of Raul Grijalva – (202) 225-2435; (Spanish) Reverend Palacios – (202) 460-1232
Around 30 Congressional Representatives have signed a letter sponsored by Co-Chair of the Progressive Caucus, Rep. Raul Grijalva. The letter, also signed by Rep. Charles Rangel, Chair of the Ways and Means Committee, and Rep. Nidia Velazquez, chair of the Hispanic Caucus, urges President Obama to support transparent and free elections in El Salvador. The March 15 presidential election is the first to take place in the Western Hemisphere since Obama was elected.
The letter gained momentum in light of concerns about the integrity of past U.S foreign policy in the region as well as electoral irregularities in El Salvador. The previous administration blatantly intervened in El Salvador’s 2004 Presidential election, and currently television ads continue to distort the official policy of the U.S. Government in order to intimidate voters. Ads have falsely claim that the U.S. government would cut off remittances, deport Salvadorans who reside in the US, and that relations between the US and El Salvador would deteriorate if the opposition won the election. Meanwhile, several institutions such as the Organization of American States (OAS), the European Union and a delegation of American academics have called into question the integrity of the electoral process in El Salvador, publishing a series of letters and reports.
Salvadoran-Americans living in the Washington DC area have pushed for Congressional support of the letter. They will appear along with Congressman Grijalva to urge the Obama administration to make a public statement for democratic elections in El Salvador and reaffirm a commitment to work with any party democratically elected by the Salvadoran people.
Interviews available with Rep. Grijalva and members of the Salvadoran community
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