Flag of the Republic of  El Salvador  (credit:Wikipedia)

By Gary Raynaldo      DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) is sending a special mission to the Republic of El Salvador amid the tense political situation in the Latin American nation.  Political tensions in El Salvador have been brewing for weeks and boiled over recently with a deadly attack at an election campaign event in the capital, San Salvador, in the lead-up to a legislative vote later this month. On January 31, gunmen opened fire on activists from El Salvador’s main opposition party, Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN).  killing two people. The cold blooded murders in broad daylight shocked the country and ignited fears of a return to the dark days of the country’s civil war, in which 80,000 people were killed in the conflict, which lasted from 1979 until a peace deal was signed in 1992.  The attack happened right in front of one of the offices of the FMLN party.

“The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) accepts the requests of the Republic of El Salvador to send a Special Mission to evaluate the political-institutional situation and to contribute to the preservation and strengthening of the rule of law in the country, in accordance with the provisions of Article 17 of the Inter-American Democratic Charter.   The OAS General Secretariat reiterates its permanent vocation to continue working and assisting with the country’s institutions within the framework of the Constitution and the rule of law.”

-OAS  statement 

The OAS said the the Special Mission will contribute to facilitating a political dialogue that leads to the strengthening of democratic institutions in the country, especially with regard to the independence of powers and the investigation of the events denounced by all parties. The OAS added the Special Mission will also seek to help the powers of the Salvadoran State provide full  guarantees for the electoral process that will take place in 2021.

“The OAS General Secretariat expresses in this way its firm will to work with the Government and the Legislative Assembly in the defense off the Constitution and the rule of law, in accordance with the principles of the Inter-American Democratic Charter,” the OAS stated.