three days...

Three days until the presidential elections here and although the campaigns have to officially 'close' four days before elections - the intensity in the atmosphere hasn't dropped at all. I didn't get to be home during the final days of the McCain/Obama race - so it's difficult to compare - but there are certainly differences that are bizarre and maddening.

Before I delve into my thoughts - a bit of context: There are currently two parties in the race (there were more, but they were bought out or dropped out). The right-wing, conservative party is called Arena and the left party was originally created out of the guerrilla movement from the war and is called the FMLN. Arena has been in power for more than 20 years and has historically been very buddy-buddy with the United States.

This time around, the FMLN chose a candidate from outside of the party, viewed as more of an independent, and has done well. This time around the FMLN had an enourmous lead (17.6%) coming into these last pre-election months. But regardless of the fact that El Salvador is a democracy, elections seem to be lacking a lot in order to be 'free and fair'.

It seems each day of the last two weeks I've heard or seen an Arena tactic that has made my stomach turn - the worst of these involving factory/big business owners. The press found out a few weeks back that employees of large factories and numerous international companies were told that the Monday after elections, they would have to show a picture of their ballot (with a vote for Arena), taken with their cell phone, to their employer or they would be fired.

In the mayoral elections in January, Arena knowingly bussed in people from Guatemala and Nicaragua to vote for their parties and gave them official IDs to do so. Apparently this is something that's been happening for years, but since the party in power is the one commiting the crime, there have been no repercussions, or ways to prevent it from happening in the future.

And perhaps the most upsetting, since I'm a gringa, is seeing the claims made on the front pages of the newspapers (almost entirely owned by Arena) stating: 'Untied States fears connection with Chavez' or 'United States Congress - TPS in danger with FMLN'. Headlines based on the statement a specific right leaning organization or a specific congress person at home - not the entirety of the United States. But these statements envoke fear, bring to mind uncertainty and are thus effective.

Any campaign gets dirty, but let these people have their vote without threatening their job or robbing them of its value by executing fraud in such a huge, blatantly disrespectful way. And if you're not willing to do so, then I don't think you should necessarily be labeled a democracy or use the party slogan of "Arena - I vote for my liberty".

I watched rioting in Managua after an electoral process filled with alleged fraud. The question here isn't even whether or not fraud will happen, it's 'How much?' and "Will it be enough to win?" I also watched the United States "freeze" it's financial aid to Nicaragua "due" to the fraud and lack of transparency. Will we have the integrity to do the same if the party commiting fraud is one we have historically supported rather than a system that identifies itself as 'socialist'? And why the double standard?

Three days until the elections and we're hoping that whatever the outcome, people's votes count.