US Lawmakers to Tillerson: Do Not Interfere in El Salvador Elections

By teleSUR

27 February 18

The Democratic lawmakers said they want the U.S. government to remain neutral in its actions and comments regarding the country’s upcoming vote.

group of U.S. congressional Democrats sent a letter Monday to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson telling him that the United States must remain "neutral" and not "interfere" in the parliamentary and municipal elections in El Salvador this Sunday.

"As members of Congress committed to the democratic process in El Salvador, we seek your assurance that the State Department remains neutral in its comments and actions regarding the electoral process," the letter said.

"We look forward to working with you to ensure that the United States promotes El Salvador's ability to conduct free and fair elections through a truly democratic process, without any interference."

Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky led this initiative which was supported by at least 20 of her colleagues in the House of Representatives, such as Luis Gutierrez and Raul Grijalva.

The news comes two days after political parties concluded their election campaigns and as international observer missions arrive in the country, with the biggest one coming from the Organization of American States headed by Uruguayan diplomat Juan Pablo Corlazzoli along with 28 experts.

Meanwhile the EU observer mission to El Salvador said the campaigns had unfolded peacefully. “The campaign is being carried out amid a great deal of tranquility ... the EU’s mission has been here for a month and so far no confrontations have been observed,” Spain’s Carlos Iturgaiz, the head of the mission and a member of the European Parliament, told reporters last week.

“There have been no major complaints or serious problems, and this gives us a sense of normalcy and calm, which we expect will be reflected on March 4 and the days to follow, after the results are in.”

Some 5.2 million Salvadorans are eligible to vote this Sunday to elect 84 Congress representatives and all members of the country’s 262 municipal councils.

The Salvadoran political sphere has been dominated by the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, or FMLN, and the right-wing Nationalist Republican Allianca, or Arena. Currently, the FMLN holds the presidency but Arena has a parliament majority.