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ELECTIONS A DISAPPOINTMENT FOR SACA IN EL SALVADOR; TIGHT VICTORY FOR FMLN IN THE CAPITAL.

Article Excerpt
El Salvador's March 12 elections have resulted in a narrow, disputed mayoral victory for the Farabundo Marti para la Liberacion Nacional (FMLN), and a new Congress that falls short of President Antonio Saca's hopes for an absolute majority for his ARENA party. Narrow margins, substantial abstention, and a delayed result are becoming a trend on the isthmus. Both Honduras and Costa Rica saw similar dynamics in their recent presidential elections (see NotiCen, 2005-12-01 and 2006-02-09).

Three days after the election, on March 15, the Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE) issued an unofficial result in the San Salvador mayoral race, giving victory to the FMLN's Violeta Menjivar, a pediatrician, by just 100 votes. Prior to this determination, both Menjivar and her ARENA opponent Rodrigo Samayoa had claimed victory. They had begun doing that almost immediately after the polls closed.

The closeness of the vote dictated a hand recount that was late in starting. Once the count got rolling, TSE president Walter Araujo confirmed that, of the total of 687 tally sheets from the capital, 36 presented technical problems. In all but two of the sheets, the problem was a lack of official stamps on the documents. In two, officials had recorded results on the wrong form.

Later in the day, Araujo announced further difficulties. Menjivar's margin had slipped to...

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