ELECTIONS HELD IN 2000
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| Chamber: | |
| Asamblea legislativa | |
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| 12 March 2000 | |
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| Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. | |
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| In the legislative and municipal elections held on 12 March 2000, marked by very high abstention (62%), the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) edged out the Nationalist Republic Alliance (ARENA), the party in power since 1989.
It was the biggest election victory for the FMLN ever since its official recognition and the signature of the 1992 peace agreements, ending 12 years of a civil war that had left more than 75,000 dead or disappeared. The former guerilla movement won 31 of the 84 contested seats in the Legislative Assembly (4 more than in the previous election) as against 29 for ARENA (which picked up only one more seat). The FMLN also did very well in the municipal elections: for example, its candidate, Hector Silva, was re-elected as mayor of the capital city with 56% of the votes cast. El Salvador is one of the poorest countries in Latin America and nearly half of the population lives below the poverty threshold. The illiteracy rate is high, with more than 50% of all children aged 7 to 9 not in school. National media analysts feel that the left's victory is due to the country's critical economic situation, because a great many ARENA supporters opted for abstention. On 1 May 2000, thanks to the 47 votes cast by ARENA, the PCN and the PDC, Mr. Ciro Cruz Zepeda (PCN) was elected President of the Legislative Assembly. |
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STATISTICS
| Round no 1 (12 March 2000): Elections results | |
| Number of registered electors | 3 264 724 |
| Voters | 1 256 342 (38 %) |
| Blank or invalid ballot papers | 46 073 |
| Valid votes | 1 210 269 |
| Round no 1: Distribution of votes | |||
| Political Group | Votes | % | |
| Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) | 426 289 | 35.22 | |
| National Republican Alliance (ARENA) | 436 169 | 36.04 | |
| National Conciliation Party (PCN) | 106 802 | 8.82 | |
| Christian Democratic Party (PDC) | 87 074 | 7.19 | |
| United Democratic Centre (CDU) | 65 070 | 5.38 | |
| Others | n.a. | n.a. | |
| Round no 1: Distribution of seats | |||
| Political Group | Total | ||
| Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) | 31 | ||
| National Republican Alliance (ARENA) | 29 | ||
| National Conciliation Party (PCN) | 14 | ||
| Christian Democratic Party (PDC) | 5 | ||
| United Democratic Centre (CDU) | 3 | ||
| Others | 2 | ||
| Distribution of seats according to sex: | |
| Men: | 76 |
| Women: | 8 |
| Percent of women: | 9.52 % |
Copyright © 2000 Inter-Parliamentary Union