Supreme Electoral Tribunal judges; Guadalupe Medina, from left to right, Fernando Arguello, Eduardo Urquilla, Eugenio Chicas and Gilberto Canjura look at a freshly printed ballot at a printing press house in San Salvador, El Salvador, Feb. 17 , 2012. El Salvador will hold elections for congressional representatives and mayors on March 11.
Salvadorans head to the polls March 11 to elect a new legislative assembly, as well as regional mayors and governors. The vote is an important democratic test for the tiny, crime-plagued Central American nation, which reformed election rules last year. The results will also shape the remaining two years of Mauricio Funes’ presidency, according to the Americas Quarterly policy journal. Funes is struggling to convert personal popularity into support for his FMLN party. Recent polls show ARENA, the country’s conservative opposition, with a narrow lead. It’s aiming to capture 29 seats, which would allow it to veto legislation and budgets. The FMLN wants a supermajority to allow more radical legislation and constitutional changes.