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PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS 2014:

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND...

June 20th, 2013

In less tan seven months from now, on February 2nd, 2014, Salvadorans will attend a new electoral event: the presidential election. In this newsletter you will learn about the entity in charge of regulating these elections, some challenges for the future of this institution and some peculiarities of next year’s electoral event.

WHAT DOES OUR ELECTORAL AUTHORITY DO?

The Electoral Authority in El Salvador is Tribunal Supremo Electoral (TSE from now on). It has jurisdictional, administrative and financial autonomy, is based in San Salvador but exercises jurisdiction throughout the country. Our Constitution states that TSE will be composed of five justices (with five alternates each), designed by Congress. Three of those come from lists proposed by the three political parties with the most votes in the last electoral event and two come from lists submitted by the Supreme Court.

SOME FACTS ABOUT 2014 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS

CHALLENGES AHEAD...

EARLY CAMPAIGNING

Is it worth it to rethink the pe-

riod allowed to campaign or

should we aim at tougher sanc-

tions to those who campaign

earlier than is authorized?

PARTY LAW/REGULATION

Our current Law does not gua-

rantee transparency within

parties. Moreover, TSE has not

yet submitted the rules needed

to make the Law function.

SEPARATE FUNCTIONS

When are we going to advance

toward separate institutions:

one that administers elections

and another one with jurisdic-

tional authority?

CITY COUNCILS

Starting from 2015, city coun-

cils in El Salvador will be gover-

ned by several parties.

This will certainly bring trans-

parency and accountability!

Transmision of results

After several discussions, TSE justices decided that a private company will

be hired to transmit results. The cost of this transmition is US$8 million.

Fun fact: the company that provided this service in 2012 hasn’t been paid yet.

Voting abroad

Out of the 3 million Salvadorans abroad, it is expected that up to 250 thousand

(8%) might vote in 2014. If Salvadorans wish to vote from abroad, they will have to

send their ballot by mail 20 days before the elections. In order to vote, they must

obtain an official ID, issued in any consulate, that certifies that they live abroad.

Residential vote

Residential vote reached 185 municipalities in 2012. In the 2014 presidential elec-

tions, people in all 262 municipalities in El Salvador will be able to vote closer to

their homes. The total cost of this program is US$2.5 million.