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Press Release from the OAS Electoral Observation Mission in El Salvador

The Election Observation Mission (EOM) of the Organization of American States (OAS) to the presidential elections in El Salvador on Sunday, February 2, 2014 expresses its satisfaction with the tranquility and civic spirit shown by the Salvadoran people during the elections.

The Mission appreciates the technical and logistical administration of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal that implemented innovations to encourage voting and created better conditions for political competition and, indeed, the enactment of the Electoral Code, the law on political parties, voting by police officers and voting abroad, which expanded the inclusiveness of the electoral process.

The Mission considers as deserving of special mention the widespread implementation of residential voting, which resulted in a tripling of the voting centers, brought the polls closer to voters and therefore expanded the margins of citizen autonomy by allowing citizens to reach polling stations on their own.

The Observation Mission would like to highlight the efficient, agile and transparent transmission of preliminary results. At the end of Election Day, information on 99% of the votes counted was available. The Mission would like to highlight the contribution made by the fact that the data provided by the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, monitored at all stages by the political parties, is available online to all citizens, including digital access to the data.

The testimony of the OAS observers indicates that public authorities properly ensured the safety of the premises and the electoral process, though this did not exclude some isolated incidents of intimidation or attempts to influence the vote.

Improvement in the processes of verifying the voter rolls, especially the registration of deaths, is a task that should be addressed with special attention.

At the same time, the EOM notes the need to address some major challenges in the second round, such as the timely and official exercise by Supreme Electoral Tribunal of its powers of control over the participation and involvement of public authorities in the electoral campaign, which would help to improve the climate of trust and transparency in the process.

The reduction in the level of public participation compared to the 2009 vote deserves attention, which if it continues could weaken the democratic process. Democracy depends on the popular vote.

From the perspective of the EOM it seems particularly important that the Salvadoran institutions, in the spirit of the current laws, study and implement measures for accounting and the expenses of the parties, regulate the information about their financing sources, regulate the treatment of foreign donations and give new parties financial conditions to participate with equity. In order to keep pace with the progress the region has achieved in this area, this is a task that Salvadoran political actors should undertake with special urgency.

The EOM/OAS emphasizes the value of the implementation of the vote by citizens abroad and emphasizes the benefits that could result from the relaxation of the conditions currently required for registration.

Finally, the Mission recognizes the support of the Salvadoran authorities that allowed it to carry out its activities. It also appreciates the financial contributions of Bolivia, Chile, Spain, the United States, France, Israel, Italy and Luxembourg for the work of the Mission.

The Electoral Observation Mission of the OAS is convinced that the political parties will act with the same maturity, calm and civic nature shown by the citizens and that Salvadoran society will strengthen and expand its exemplary mobilization in the elections on March 9. With the same conviction it hopes to continue the task of impartial observation, committed to democratic values.

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-033/14