tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177745.post114243466457105239..comments2024-03-28T11:30:20.005-05:00Comments on El Salvador Perspectives: Election re-capTimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02452039674856298357noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177745.post-1159162966605310312006-09-25T00:42:00.000-05:002006-09-25T00:42:00.000-05:00I'd be interested to see whether there are any hom...I'd be interested to see whether there are any homegrown sources that reported the complaints in the Oriente from people who said their home had been visited by supposed census-takers, whom they suspected of actually being name-gatherers for vote fraud. I'm not supporting or refuting the suspicion, mind you, just reporting it. In the countryside in Morazán this appears to have been widely believed; I know my mother-in-law said it more than once in 2004.ProudTexasWomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04765808679173032889noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177745.post-1142670596287374782006-03-18T02:29:00.000-06:002006-03-18T02:29:00.000-06:00Let me amend that comment. On second look, there's...Let me amend that comment. On second look, there's quite a bit of continuity between the 2003-2006 assembly, and the 2006-2009 assembly, in all parties.<BR/><BR/>However, I still think that gradually the quality has diminished. Of course, I am NOT mourning the defeat of Ciro Cruz Cepeda!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9177745.post-1142669702970675022006-03-18T02:15:00.000-06:002006-03-18T02:15:00.000-06:00Tim,Thanks for keeping an eye on things (I certain...Tim,<BR/><BR/>Thanks for keeping an eye on things (I certainly haven't in the past year.) A couple of comments:<BR/><BR/>1. The FMLN moved not from 29 deputies to quite a few less than that. Remember that in 2004 there were several moderates that stopped voting with the FMLN. With 29 votes, you can still block a 2/3 majority. They had less than that, although I can't remember just how many.<BR/><BR/>The significant thing about the 33 seats, then, is that these are all loyal, hardliners. The party is more "conservative" than ever.<BR/><BR/>2. The latter thus makes for a less-than optimal scenario for governance, and forebodes continued confrontation and polarization, as you note. See Paolo Luer's article in El Faro this week, as well: http://www.elfaro.net<BR/>2009 is going to be more of the same, except that ARENA has always proven more able to come up with a decent candidate than has the Frente, so I'd safely place my money on them.<BR/><BR/>3. I dare say that this may be the least capable group of deputies that we've seen in the post-war period. Okay, maybe I'm biased simply because I don't recognize many of the people. And I hope I'm wrong. <BR/><BR/>But I still believe things were so much better back with the 1994 assembly (similarly, the 1994 Supreme court was also the best in recent memory -- less politicized), in large part because of a good cadre of smart center-left politicians, who generally run circles around every one else. Who are the able legislators in either of the two major parties at this point? I can't really tell you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com