El Salvador is about to experience its 2024 elections. It is estimated that more than 6 million people will vote in this Sunday's elections, a contest marked by inequality and the controversial candidacy of President Nayib Bukele, who is seeking re-election.
On June 1, 2019, Nayib Bukele was sworn in as president of El Salvador after obtaining 53% of the votes. Since then, his mandate has been characterized by the open fight against criminal gangs, and by measures such as the law to incorporate Bitcoin into the national currency, in June 2021.
In September 2022, Bukele announced his candidacy for re-election in 2024, becoming the first president in the history of El Salvador to seek a second term, according to an analysis of the Washington Office on Latin American Affairs (WOLA).
When are the elections in El Salvador and what do you vote for?
The elections in El Salvador will hold their first round on Sunday, February 4. That day the president, vice president and 60 members of the Legislative Assembly will be voted on, an event that has not occurred since 2009. Finally, on Sunday, March 3, voters will elect the mayors and members of the 44 municipal councils, as well as to 20 members of the Central American Parliament (Parlacen).
When will the change of government take place in El Salvador?
The inauguration will be on Saturday, June 1, 2024. The Legislative Assembly and the Municipal Councils will take possession on Wednesday, May 1.
Candidates, ballot and how to vote
On Sunday, February 4, you must go to your polling place with your current Unique Identity Document (DUI). To find out where you should vote, go to the official website of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) of El Salvador: https://consulta.tse.gob.sv/. The platform will ask you to enter your DUI number and will indicate the address of your voting center. The polls will be open from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (local time).
On election day, you will be given two ballots: one for voting for the presidency, and one for voting for the Legislative Assembly. All ballots are available for consultation online: https://www.tse.gob.sv/elecciones-2024/inicio#papeletas.
How to fill out the ballot?
You can mark the political option of your preference on the ballot. Your vote will be valid if you mark the face, the flag of the political party, or both options. On the other hand, the voting ballot for the presidency and vice presidency shows the six political parties that will compete with their different formulas:
- José Javier Renderos, from Fuerza Solidaria (FS).
- Manuel Flores, of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN).
- Joel Sánchez, from the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA).
- Luis Parada, from Nuestro Tiempo.
- Marina Murillo, from the Salvadoran Patriotic Fraternity (FPS).
- Nayib Bukele (current president of El Salvador), for the New Ideas party.
Cross voting: how to vote for candidates from different parties?
Candidates from different political parties can be elected, known as cross-voting. For example, in the case of deputies to the Legislative Assembly, it is possible to mark the candidacies of different parties as long as they do not exceed the number of deputies to be elected in their department, as this will nullify their vote. If the cross-vote option is chosen, the flags do not have to be marked, as this will grant the vote to the entire list of the same party, as shown in the following video:
What happens with the 'blank vote' and in which case is the vote annulled?
Abstentions or absenteeism, as it is known in El Salvador, refers to the fact that the citizen went to vote, but decided not to mark the ballot and deposit it blank in the ballot box. Although it is a valid decision and the citizen has the right to leave the ballot blank, the truth is that public officials will be elected taking into account the valid votes. Take this into account when considering your vote.
On the other hand, actions that can lead to the annulment of your vote include obscene words or drawings written on your ballot, false or mutilated ballots, or if you exceed the total number of marks allowed by each constituency.
What time does Prohibition start and what are the sanctions?
Article 284 of the Electoral Code establishes that the day before the vote, the day of the vote and the day after, the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages is prohibited. Thus, dry law in El Salvador is established on February 3, 4 and 5. It begins at midnight on Saturday, February 3 and ends at midnight on Monday, February 5. The penalties for not complying with the prohibition law range from $365 depending on the severity of the case and the economic capacity of the violating person, the law states.
Vote Receiving Boards (JRV): how do you know if you belong to one?
The Vote Receiving Boards (JRV) are the polling stations for electoral counting in the elections in El Salvador. If you were notified to participate in a JRV, you must appear on election day at your voting center at 5:00 a.m. Their functions will be to install and draw up minutes before voting begins. To find out if you are part of a JRV, enter your DUI in the following link: https://oet.tse.gob.sv/consulta-oet. Please note that if you were selected and do not attend, you will be subject to a fine of $25 to $114.
How does El Salvador get to the 2024 elections?
Polls—such as the one conducted by the electoral consortium Observa El Salvador—predict that the current president and his party, Nuevas Ideas, will sweep the presidential and legislative elections in El Salvador. Although Bukele's re-election has generated controversy, it is likely that he will win.
Last Tuesday, January 23, Observa El Salvador 2024, a consortium of universities and organizations, including the José Simeón Cañas Central American University (UCA) and the Central American Institute of Fiscal Studies (ICEFI), noted in their document First Electoral Observation Report that the electoral process is unequal for the contenders in different aspects.
First of all, the document highlights that the rules are uncertain and diffuse. After the repeal of article 291-A of the Electoral Code, the regulations of electoral processes may be modified at any time by the Legislative Assembly. At an international level, it is advisable not to modify electoral regulations at least one year before the election.
On the other hand, it details that the design of the two voting modalities—the national vote and the vote from abroad—adds a new challenge to the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE)
, since the organization will have to manage different ways of exercising the vote, each one with its mechanisms and times to vote. In addition, he pointed out the conditions of disparity regarding access to the media and financing.
“Throughout the electoral process, the TSE and the Ministry of Finance have not guaranteed the timely delivery of the political debt, which means that the parties campaigning for the presidential, legislative and municipal elections lack the minimum financing from the State to compete under fair conditions,” the report indicates.
In addition, it states that the ruling New Ideas (NI) party owns 97% of the value of the propaganda issued. Thus, of a total of 133 advertisements detected in the month, 71% correspond to messages from NI, while the remaining 16% come from the Nationalist Republican Alliance party (ARENA).
Other aspects, such as limited transparency of the process, a polarized political environment and insecurity factors that threaten human rights, are considered among the great challenges to be faced during the electoral elections in El Salvador.
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