Elections

El Grupo:  Main Election Site in Suchitoto

Sunday El Salvador held legislative and local elections to choose 84 members of the legislative assembly as well as 262 mayors.  The conservative party ARENA claimed the majority of the National Assembly and mayor positions.  Suchitoto traditionally supports the liberal FMLN party as it was a Guerrilla stronghold during the war.  We elected a FMLN Mayoress.

Rosa and Eva volunteered to work help with the elections.  They met at the school, El Grupo at 3am on Sunday and weren't able to leave until 12am Monday.  After the voting stations close, the volunteers sit in a room to count the ballots.  They divide into tables with one representative from each party (6 parties) at each table.  They count the ballots one by one with each person at the table verifying that the vote is valid.  There was a change in the ballot format this year which resulted in some confusion throughout the country.  Thankfully, Suchitoto's system ran fairly smoothly.  They celebrated with booming fireworks at midnight!

This is the first election that Suchitoto has scattered voting stations throughout the campo (communities who are considered part of Suchitoto but are up to an hour drive outside the town center).  Thankfully El Groupo was not the sight for all 20,000 people this election. 

Like all elections in the US, there are mixed emotions in response to the results.  It is interesting to listen to people's thoughts, disappointments, excitement, and hopes for the future of Suchitoto and El Salvador.