As this goes to air Salvadorans are breathlessly waiting the final count on the vote for the Mayor of El Salvador - a surprisingly close result given that the FMLN incumbent Mayor was leading in the polls and ARENA was trailing. It now looks as though the ARENA candidate has a chance, and the surprise result feeds a widely held belief that ARENA has resorted to fraudulent tactics in a desperate bid to win.
The good news for the FMLN is that it appears they have won a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly, in spite of the fraudulent tactics of the ARENA government candidates. Amanda Blake was on the spot as an official observer, and as part of a delegation from CISPES (Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador). She spoke with community radio as the first results started coming in, and gives her nervous prognosis for the Presidential round coming up on March 15
