It’s official…

Another Latin American country has just gone left. El Salvador has elected its first FMLN president.

UPDATE: Videos (in Spanish) below.

Walter Araújo, president of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal of El Salvador, makes his remarks on the occasion. He stresses the free, fair and transparent nature of the elections. This is especially important in light of the interference that came from the right-wing in the US, and their equally right-wing Venezuelan lackeys; of course, the English-language media (especially the Dissociated Press) chose to frame the issue as a “ZOMG, El Salvador’s democracy is under threat from the guerrilla left!!!11eleven!!!” panic. Which it is not. (The Christian Science Monitor‘s resident Chicken Little, Sara Miller Llana, waxed especially stupid on the issue, framing it as a referendum on Chavecito–which, again, it is not.)

Meanwhile, a woman of note from neighboring Guatemala has also weighed in. Here’s Nobel prizewinner and human rights activist Rigoberta Menchú, giving her dos centavos:

She sees this historic election as an opportunity to put the Cold War, its associated fears and hatreds, its terrorism and violence, behind. She expresses the hope that this will bring about peace in what has long been a violence-torn nation. She would know; the violence has affected Guatemala as well. Both countries have long been US pawns in the “Great Chessboard” strategy of the Cold War hawks, and indigenous peasants have suffered disproportionately in the violence. For this reason, her remarks carry special weight.

A portion of Funes’ victory speech also appears in the latter part of the clip.

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4 Responses to It’s official…

ceti says:

March 16, 2009 at 1:06 AM

Not just another Latin American country, but El Salvador, ground zero for Reagan era savagery and genocide.
This is a sweet victory, at long last.
Sabina Becker says:

March 16, 2009 at 1:43 AM

You ain’t kiddin’. This is proof that El Salvador HAS democracy, at last. And that its people have finally put fear far enough behind them to vote for someone who hasn’t been hand-picked for them by the State Dept.
I won’t be surprised if there’s a coup attempt against Funes (backed by you-know-who), and neither will I be surprised if it meets the same fate the one against Chavecito in 2002 did.
James Hardwick says:

March 16, 2009 at 5:10 PM

My wife was born and raised in El Salvador. Somehow, she managed to survive the Civil War there in the 80’s. I’ve visited many times and met members of the FMLN, mostly mayors (alcaldes). They truly want what is best for El Salvador and not just what is best for the 12 or 14 families that think the country is their own personal feifdom. I’m happy for EL Salvador and proud that the people have now taken control of the government without firing a single shot.
Viva Shafik!!
y
Hasta la victoria siempre, companeros!!
Sabina Becker says:

March 16, 2009 at 9:31 PM

Thanks for that, James. It’s a proud moment indeed, and I hope the big catch-up happens fast. I can remember seeing/hearing Chavecito mentioning meeting Shafik before he himself was elected, and how sad it was when Shafik died so suddenly. Wherever he is, I’m sure he’s happy now.
Some think the worst gangs in El Salvador are the “maras”, but I’ve always felt it was the oligarchs–they had backing from the biggest and most-armed mafia on the planet, after all. And its home base isn’t in Sicily or Naples, but in Washington. Now, finally, the gangbusters are in office. I predict there will be a sudden drop in the influx of undocumented Salvadorans to the US starting now. I also foresee an “unexpected” economic improvement (unexpected, that is, to the media pundits.)

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4 Responses to It’s official…

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