| Parliament name (generic / translated) |
Asamblea legislativa / Legislative Assembly |
| Structure of parliament |
Unicameral |
| BACKGROUND |
| Dates of election / renewal (from/to) |
18 January 2009 |
| Purpose of elections |
Elections were held for all the seats in Parliament on the normal expiry of the members' term of office. |
On 1 September 2008
the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) officially set the date for parliamentary elections for 18 January 2009.
In the previous parliamentary elections held in March 2006
the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) came in first
winning 34 seats. ARENA's traditional coalition partner
the National Conciliation party (CN)
lost six seats
winning a total of ten. The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) obtained 32 seats. The Christian Democratic Party (PDC) took six
while the Democratic Change (CD) party won two seats. The Revolutionary Democratic Front (FDR)
formed by FMLN dissidents in 2005
failed to win parliamentary representation.
In October 2005
President Antonio Saca (ARENA) launched the Family Solidarity Network programme
which provides a monthly allowance of the equivalent of between US$ 15 and 20 per child to each family living in extreme poverty. However
the recent rise in food prices further affected the poor
who make up 42 per cent of the country's 6.5 million inhabitants.
The 2009 parliamentary elections were held two months ahead of presidential elections
which take place every five years. The FMLN criticized the TSE for starting the electoral process without taking into account the outcome of the 2007 census. The FMLN insisted that more seats should be allocated to the urban areas of San Salvador
where is reportedly strong support. 178 candidates including 36 women were vying for seats in the Legislative Assembly. Once again
there was a duel between the FMLN and ARENA
which had ruled the country since 1989. Both parties' leaders were also presidential candidates.
Mr. Mauricio Funes
once a popular journalist
led the FMLN
a former armed group that joined the political process in the early 1990s. He underscored that the FMLN was no longer a radical Marxist organization. Mr. Funes vowed to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba
which had been severed following the Cuban Revolution in 1959. The FMLN leader promised to address the situation of undocumented Salvadorians in the United States
and to re-establish the Institute for Regulating Supplies (IRA
which used to provide staples at a low cost). Mr. Funes initially called for a coalition with ARENA
the CD and the FDR
an idea which was vehemently rejected by outgoing President Saca (ARENA).
The former National Police chief
Mr. Rodrigo Ávila
led ARENA to the 2009 elections. He called for voters' continuous support for the party in order to defend freedom and protect the people's dignity. He pledged to work closely with the United States and seek more temporary work permits for Salvadorians in the United States and Canada. ARENA also said it would no longer promote radical neo-liberal economic policies.
The CN was led by Mr. Tomás Chévez
a pastor in the influential ELIM Christian church. The CN promised to re-establish a "genuinely constitutional State" through "proper law enforcement".
Pre-election polls put the FMLN in the lead. The local media reported that many people wanted change after two decades of ARENA rule
which had failed to deal with poverty and crime.
53.58 per cent of the 4.2 million registered voters turned out at the polls. Voting took place without incident
except for the delayed opening of some polling stations.
The Organization of American States observer mission said that no major problems had been reported. The European Union
which deployed an Election Observation Mission (EOM) for the first time to El Salvador
said that the elections had taken place in a peaceful and orderly manner. It nevertheless noted that the TSE failed to sanction some important violations of the Election Code
especially regarding the extremely long pre-campaign.
The final results gave the FMLN 35 seats
three more than ARENA. The CN took eleven
followed by the PDC and the CD
which respectively won five and one seat.
The newly elected Legislative Assembly held its first session on 1 May. The following day
it elected Mr. Ciro Cruz Zepeda (CN) as its new Speaker with the support of ARENA
the CN and the PDC. Members of the FMLN
which had proposed a rotation of the presidency
and the CD abstained from voting.
In the presidential elections held on 15 March
Mr. Funes (FMLN) was elected as the new President. He was sworn in on 1 June. |
| STATISTICS |
| Voter turnout |
| Round no 1 | 18 January 2009 |
Number of registered electors
Voters
Blank or invalid ballot papers
Valid votes |
4'226'479
2'264'567 (53.58%)
48'978
2'215'589 |
|
Notes
|
|
| Distribution of seats |
|
Round no 1
|
| Political Group |
Total
|
Gain/Loss |
Number of women |
|
|
| Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) |
35
|
3 |
11 |
|
|
| National Republican Alliance (ARENA) |
32
|
-2 |
4 |
|
|
| National Conciliation party (CN) |
11
|
1 |
0 |
|
|
| Christian Democratic Party (PDC) |
5
|
-1 |
1 |
|
|
| Democratic Change (CD) |
1
|
-1 |
0 |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to sex |
Men
Women
Percent of women |
68
16
19.05%
|
| Distribution of seats according to age |
|
|
|
| Distribution of seats according to profession |
|
|
| Comments |
Sources:
- http://www.tse.gob.sv
- Legislative Assembly (05.02.2009) |
Compare data for parliamentary chambers in the Last elections module
