Election Update

Almost 4 hours after the polls opened, voting in El Salvador’s presidential elections seems to be pretty smooth.  Most of the polls opened on time, and people are voting in an orderly manner.

The most common issue being reported so far is the distribution of propaganda at the polls, which is a violation of the electoral code.  The TSE officials and police have confronted ARENA supporters handing out t-shirts at the Feria Internacional polling center San Salvador, Pasaquina, La Union, Apaneca, and other locations.

In Soyapango, voting officials report that they have prevented a woman from voting twice, claiming that her name appears on the voter list twice.  Two Salvadorans were denied ballots in San Isidrio because they are registered to vote in other municipalities.

Channel 12 in El Salvador is now reporting that there are no representatives from the Attorney General’s office in Soyapango or Cuscatlan.  The AG representatives are supposed to be present at each polling station to take complaints and help monitor the voting process. The lack of AG representatives was one of the major issues identified by election observers during the January 18 local and legislative elections.

Turnout seems to be heavy across the country and most voting centers seem to be running well without incident.

More to come