Last night a quarter after midnight the Salvadoran Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) finished its final vote count. At 1:45 a.m. they held a press conference announcing the results. The FMLN won 50.11% of the vote with 1,495,815 votes and ARENA 49.89% with 1,489,451 votes (see the press release here). However, the TSE has yet to declare Salvador Sanchez Ceren the official president elect, as first they have to rule on legal requests ARENA submitted to nullify the elections, claiming that 20,000 FMLN poll workers voted twice.
Given the declarations by the Attorney General that there was no fraud in the elections, and the statements by the OAS, United Nations and many observation groups noting the transparency and efficiency of the elections, the request will likely be rejected.
This morning, a couple hundred smiling members of various civil society organizations including FESPAD, the MPR-12, the Health Forum, and Pro-Busqueda gathered in front of the Salvador del Mundo Statue with signs stating “Respeto a la Democracia”/I respect Democracy. María Silvia Guillén, director of FESPAD, emphasized the transparency and legitimacy of the TSE, calling on all Salvadorans regardless of their political colors to respect the government’s institutions.
Margarita Posada, coordinator of the National Health Forum read a press release titled “For Peace, Victory, and Dignity” noting that this is a transcendental moment in the history of El Salvador that has put to the test the government institutions and culture of peace and democracy, recognizing these elections as the most transparent yet, and congratulating the Salvadoran people for their participation in a peaceful elections, creating an environment of civic responsibility. Posada highlighted the work of the TSE to ensure the inclusion of the LGBT community and disabled persons.
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