FMLN: the struggle within begins

The papers are full of news about internal struggles, led by Oscar Ortiz (mayor of Santa Tecla), but apparently with some degree of support. He's calling for the immediate resignation of the political commission, its replacement with a transitory commission, and early elections for new leadership within three months. Julio Hernández, the FMLN magistrate on the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, apparently resigned in disgust last Monday, after it became clear that the Political Commission of the FMLN was not willing to accept any responsibility for their defeat.

Also for the first time, there is public discussion about the FMLN's primary elections last summer, in which Schafik defeated Ortiz by a small margin. There has been a secreto a voces for a long time that those elections were rigged, but now even Ortiz is hinting at it. The municipal coordinator of the FMLN for San Salvador, who was sanctioned last year by the FMLN for speaking out of turn (i.e., suggesting that a Handal candidacy might be succeed), is even blunter, alleging that fraud was perpetrated in the past two FMLN internal electoral processes.

This cartoon from La Prensa Gráfica says it all:


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