C O N F I D E N T I A L SAN SALVADOR 000055

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2019
TAGS: PGOV KPLS KDEM ES
SUBJECT: EL SALVADOR ELECTION UPDATE: JANUARY 16

Classified By: The Ambassador, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (U) Summary: This is an update regarding the Salvadoran
municipal and legislative elections scheduled for January 18,
and the presidential elections scheduled for March 15. This
report includes criticism of (pro-U.S., center-right)
Nationalist Republican Alliance Party (ARENA) campaign by
influential party members, observations by the European
Mission Chief, controversy regarding a new plan to verify the
voter identification, OAS observations regarding the voter
registry, and Salvadoran media coverage of a letter sent by
U.S. Congressmen to Secretary Rice.

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ARENA MEMBERS QUESTION CAMPAIGN STRATEGY
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2. (U) The El Faro online newspaper published an interview
January 13 with ARENA party founder and former Minister of
Public Security Hugo Barrera. In the interview, Barrera said
that the ARENA,s poor standing is a consequence of poor
strategy. He said that people who are in charge have not
been able to show Salvadorans the good things ARENA has done
in the last 20 years. Rene Figueroa, Minister of Public
Security and Justice, publicly called for ARENA presidential
candidate Rodrigo Avila to review his political strategy
after the January 18 municipal and legislative elections.

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EU OBSERVER MISSION DESCRIBES CAMPAIGN AS NORMAL
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3. (U) Luis Yanez Barnuevo, Chief of the European Union
Observer Mission, described the Salvadoran electoral
environment as normal in an interview published on January

14. He said the FMLN strategy to spread rumors and the ARENA
strategy to file complaints regarding illegal armed groups as
typical.

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FMLN PLAN TO VERIFY IDS
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4. (U) The FMLN announced January 15 a plan to distribute
ultraviolet light scanners to verify the authenticity of
voters, Unique Identification Documents (DUIs). Roberto
Lorenanza, an FMLN representative, said that the electoral
code establishes that the political parties have the right to
watch the elections; therefore, the FMLN is entitled to use
the necessary technology. However, Juan Jose Guerrero, Chief
of the National Registry of Natural Persons (RNPN), said that
his institution is the only one that has the authority to
validate DUIs. In addition, Mario Salamanca, the Supreme
Court Representative at the Electoral Tribunal (TSE), said
that the FMLN plan is inadmissible.

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OAS CONFIDENT IN ELECTORAL ROLLS
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5. (U) Gustavo Fernandez Saavedra (Bolivian), head of the
OAS Electoral Observation Mission in El Salvador, was quoted
in local press assuring voters that the electoral list of
voters and the voter registry coincide. He added the OAS
will give more details about the electoral process after
January 18.


6. (C) Fernandez Saavedra, head of the OAS Electoral
Observation Mission in El Salvador, accompanied by Deputy
Head of Mission Betilde Munoz-Pogossian, told DCM and
PolCouns January 15 he viewed the situation on the eve of
municipal and legislative elections as calm, a view he said
was shared by the EU observer mission. He said the voter
registry continued to be a concern, noting that large numbers
of deceased voters continued to appear on the list, but this
would have to be resolved after March 15 presidential
elections. He said the TSE's data transmission plans to
accelerate reporting election results could cause problems,
but the system was not essential to an accurate vote count,
something the OAS Mission will emphasize in its statements.
He also said that he viewed the most newsworthy cases of
electoral violence as more criminally based than political.
Fernandez said the OAS would have 82 observers from 19
countries in El Salvador for January 18 elections. He said
they anticipated issuing three written press releases on
election day and, if a serious statement was warranted, that
would be issued from Washington.

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MEDIA REPORTS ON LETTER TO SECRETARY RICE
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7. (U) Salvadoran media reported on January 16 on a letter
dated December 16 from U.S. Congressmen to Secretary of State
regarding the Salvadoran elections. The letter urged the
Secretary to support the Salvadoran government and refute
rumors of fraud.
GLAZER