I can't escape politics...

Today we had our first lecture at the local private university, Universidad Centroamericana (UCA). The topic happened to be right up my ally: The Electoral Process in El Salvador and the Media!

In a local paper yesterday, I saw some polls about the two major parties: FMLN and ARENA. The polls showed that ARENA is losing some electoral ground, while the executive FMLN ticket is up in the polls by about 6.5 percent. This is a a big deal because ARENA has consistantly won elections since the peace accords and the political beliefs of many Salvadorans are changing. Today's lecture put this all into context which has made me infinitely more interested in Salvadoran politics.

I will try and keep the recap minimal by focusing on contemporary politics and what I have learned about the current candidates for president.

Roderigo Avila is the current ARENA presidential candidate. Although his party is the currently in power, he is not as popular of a candidate as one would think. Actually, the ARENA choice for VP, Zablah, is attracting most voters to the party. He is considered to be a fresh face and is not afraid to disagree with his party (sound familiar?), but those claims are up to debate (if I knew more, I wouldn't mind debating them!).

Mauricio Funes is the leading candidate, running for FMLN. He is running on a platform of change, honesty, and on addressing social problems. He seems to be more popular right now because of the current sentiment against Avila, but his VP candidate has not been the best choice. Sanchez Ceren is still connecting himself to his roots as a guerilla fighter during the civil war, but most voters are not buying into that because it was so long ago. Overall, while the FMLN seems popular at the moment, their image is outdated and they are not necessarily trying to update it. On the flipside, ARENA is using this election as an opportunity to paint itself in new lights.

It will be really interesting to see how this election turns out in March!

In the meantime, I have learned that ads and propoganda for parties are continuing to plaster the country. Our lecturer also shared with us that the TV campaign is also very strong; while all parties are running negative campaign ads, the major target is FMLN, and the campaign against it is in full swing on television. At the moment, I'm glad not to be watching much TV here in ES!

Another interesting note regarded how the multiparty system works here. While five parties are up and running, the PDC and PCN are mostly aligned with ARENA, and are generally used by ARENA to increase the perception of a diversified government. FDR and CD, on the other hand, are not aligned with FMLN; instead, they are more centrist in nature. None of these third parties, then, really serve as effective "opposition" and also do not garner much electoral support.

Finally, we also discussed the effect of the election of Barack Obama in the States. Apprently, ES citizens were very happy about Obama's election, especially those on the left. Leaders in the FMLN, including the candidates, wrote public statements congratulating Obama on the win, while ARENA was quite delayed in cheering the news.

The actual influence of Obama on the upcoming Salvadoran elections is yet to be seen, other than many view his win as a good sign for FMLN. Also, whether Obama's election will impact Salvadoran relations with the US, for better or for worse, is quite the interesting question and is very hard to answer until Obama is actually president. If anybody ever wants to discuss this question, I'm totally game!

Outside of politics, I'm still having a great time in ES. Working in Altos de Jardienes has so far been a powerful, rewarding experience. I have three mejor amigos (best friends), all very adorable, playful, football-loving little boys: Ronaldo, Bryan, and Baltazar. I'm very excited to continue working with them, their friends and family, and increase edcuation and environmental awareness in the community. Moreso, I'm thankful for our interaction; I can't speak Spanish, but I have managed to learn some from them, and we've managed to have fun regardless...smiles and laughter are always universal (and pointing helps)!

Besides Altos, I have very much enjoyed our sightseeing and experience in little towns eating and shopping. I am also very grateful for the group I am here with; we are all making the most of this experience, and providing tremendous support in the best and worst of times.

I can't believe we've been here for over ten days, and that we only have two and half weeks left! I hope to continue learning, and I certainly will continue helping. There will be plenty more opportunity -- three more lectures and many more days with Altos:-)

Thank you for reading (especially you, Alyssa's family!).

Living, loving, and learning,

~MJ