No Winner in El Salvador's Close Presidential

No winner has been announced in El Salvador's close Presidential election. About 6,634 votes is all that is separating the two candidates. The electoral tribunal is saying that the votes are too close and it is making it impossible to name a winner. Sanchez Ceren, who is a former rebel commander and who is now the governing party's candidate had a lead.  Magistrate has concluded that they will need to review blank and contested ballots and still complete counting about 10,500 absentee ballots casted by Salvadorans living abroad. Makes the election process interesting because they count citizens living abroad. It could be a strategic move to hold on the winner by somehow having abroad living voters vote in favor of which ever candidate is highly wanted to win. Mr. Sanchez Ceren opponent is Mr. Norman Quijano who is a two term major of San Salvador. Mr. Ceren has told Mr. Quijano to wait out the counting of the ballots and "respect the will of the Salvadoran people." Mr. Quijano responded in a speech "the armed forces are watching the fraud that is being concocted." The public didn't take lightly to armed force comment since they have worked so hard for a democracy since 1992 after a 12 year civil war. The public is taking this political opponents not so highly since the civil war was to eliminate political opponents. It seems that Mr. Ceren is very calm and it seems like he almost knows how this election is going to turn out. El Faro, an online newspaper is calling for candidates to acknowledge the country's division and for them to find a common ground. It is interesting to read about how countries have democratic government and have political opponents but yet the candidates can't be too opposite of each other for the fear that it will fall back to prior to the civil war. Opinion polls have given Mr. Ceren double digit lead over Mr. Quijano, even though El Salvador is highly known for the trouble is faces of gang violence and anemic economic growth. Mr. Ceren has a trust relationship with the people of El Salvador. El Salvador is known  as one of the highest rate of murder in the world but under Mr. Ceren those rates are dropping.

Simona Gudynaite

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