CISPES 2009 Salvadoran Elections Blog

The front page feature article in this week’s Real Change is an overview of the Salvadoran presidential election, highlighting the role of CISPES observers and Salvadorans living in the Seattle area.

It was “an emotionally charged experience,” says Cecilia Martínez Vásquez. Martínez Vásquez, who witnessed the elections from her hometown of Apopa, El Salvador, grew up during the 12-year civil war between the military and guerilla movement. She vividly remembers sleeping under her bed for several weeks during outbreaks of violence. In 1990, eight months after Apopa was invaded by the military, Martínez Vásquez and her family left El Salvador for the United States.

With memories of strife and fear still lucid, Martínez Vásquez remarks that “to see a country fulfill its potential and to move in a direction where change will happen — there is a lot of hope.”

Thanks to Real Change and reporter Will Voinot-Baron!

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 26th, 2009 at 2:33 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.