Washington, DC - On February 24, a group of fifteen Congressional Democrats sent a letter to Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to express their "deep concern regarding political violence, intimidation, and corruption in El Salvador" in light of upcoming legislative and municipal elections on February 28.

Read the letter here.

According to the legislators, "the political dialogue has devolved into themes of intolerance, violence, bribery, and corruption," tactics they say "may have contributed" to the January 31, 2021 attack on El Salvador’s main opposition party, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, which killed two people and injured five others.

"We cannot ignore violent tendencies and tactics in pursuit of political gain," they wrote.

Similarly, the legislators underscore the need to avoid "inadvertently bolster[ing] undemocratic or corrupt individuals or systems," leading them to call on the Biden administration to issue a statement ahead of the Salvadoran elections in order to "encourage a peaceful electoral process, denounce attacks against the democratic achievements of the Salvadoran Peace Accords, and affirm the United States’ commitment to defending human rights, peace, and democracy in the region."

The letter was signed by Representatives Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), James McGovern (D-MA), Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ), Jim Costa (D-CA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Mark Pocan (D-WI), David Price (D-NC), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Henry “Hank” Johnson (D-GA), David Trone (D-MD), Jesús “Chuy” Garcia (D-IL), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), Jamie Raskin (D-MD).

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For further information regarding the political context for Sunday's election, please contact Yesenia Portillo: [email protected] or call (202) 521-2510 ext. 202