Reporting from San Salvador, just 4 days 'til election day!

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Dear Friend, Here in sunny San Salvador, we are waiting for our last election observers to arrive! Thanks to the support of people like you, CISPES was able to quickly mobilize another strong delegation to accompany the Salvadoran people as they head to the polls on Sunday. Our delegates will be reporting from the field as the events unfold - Like us on Facebook to see what we're up to and check out live elections day coverage on our new blog. With just 4 days until the elections, all signs point to a win for FMLN candidate Salvador Sánchez Cerén. Since February, he has maintained a solid 10-point lead over his ARENA party opponent, Norman Quijano (some polls, like CID-Gallup have put the lead even higher, at 16 points!). If the people's voice is heard this Sunday it won't come as a surprise, but it will nonetheless be historic - the first FMLN leader, public school teacher or unionist to be elected president of El Salvador! On the other side, ARENA is trying not to lose more votes, as more and more of the party's voracious greed gets aired for all to see. Former Vice-President Vilma de Escobar just joined the likes of former President Francisco Flores in the latest public corruption scandal  over millions in public funds paid off to personal friends and business partners during ARENA administrations. ARENA may be on the run but that doesn't mean we can let up our guard. In their desperation, ARENA is trying everything they can think of to stop an FMLN landslide victory:

  • Their most recent ads blast images of violence, threatening that El Salvador will be the next Venezeula (one can only guess that Quijano's campaign advisor, J.J. Rendon - who ran the Venezuelan opposition campaign - has a hand in that)...
  • Presenting cases to the Supreme Court to undermine the elections authority, setting the stage to discredit an FMLN victory,
  • Calling on ultraconservative pals in Washington for help - like Heritage Foundation president Jim DeMint and Reagan/Bush crony Roger Noriega, now telling anyone who will listen that our streets will be less safe if the FMLN wins.

If ARENA tries to pull another trick out of their dirty hat, our observers will be there on election day. We hope we can count on you too for the solidarity our Salvadoran allies may need from us as they advance towards real democracy and an economy that works for working people. Stay tuned with CISPES' on-the-ground elections coverage through Sunday and beyond:

* follow up-to-the-minute coverage on our special elections blog
* like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter

* sign up to receive any important solidarity action alerts as needed to stop U.S. intervention in these historic elections From the hopeful streets of San Salvador, Alexis Stoumbelis P.S. We're also looking for interns to join us in El Salvador this summer, and what a time to be there!

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