Election ads anger El Salvador’s ombudsman

[Judi Lynn]

Election ads anger El Salvador’s ombudsman

By Adam Thomson in San Salvador

Published: March 14 2009 01:42 | Last updated: March 14 2009 01:42

El Salvador’s human rights ombudsman has launched a stinging attack on the country’s chief electoral authority for failing to enforce the law, just hours before the tiny violence-ravaged nation prepares to vote for a new president.

In an interview with the FT this week, Oscar Humberto Luna, El Salvador’s attorney-general for human rights, said that the electoral tribunal should have put a stop “from the very start” to negative advertising campaigns that have broken just about every rule in the book. “There has been a series of adverts, television adverts, damaging the image and the dignity of the candidates,” said Mr Luna. “The law states that these adverts should be suspended but the tribunal has not acted.”

Mr Luna said that while both the leftwing FMLN party and the incumbent rightwing Arena party are guilty of breaking the electoral laws, “one party has been more adversely affected … the leftwing party”.

~snip~
An FMLN victory would also spell the end of Central America’s only remaining rightwing government – one that has become an important US ally in the region in recent years and that even sent troops to support the US invasion of Iraq.

In an effort to prevent that prospect from happening, El Salvador’s Arena party, which has held office for the past two decades, recently launched a media campaign associating Mr Funes with Hugo Chávez, the radical Venezuelan president.

More:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/240db538-0fd8-11de-a8ae-0000779fd2ac.html?nclick_check=1

[rabs]

1. Oops, saw your post in LBN before this one

and responded to that one.

[Judi Lynn]

2. Thanks. I just saw it there.

Appreciate it.

It's very cool to actually see the information which is being blocked from U.S. readers! :hi: