March 18, 1988
The President today announced the members of the United States delegation of election observers to the March 20, 1988, legislative/municipal elections in El Salvador. The President believes that this round of elections represents yet another example of the development and consolidation of democracy in Central America.
The delegation of U.S. observers will be cochaired by Senator Richard Lugar and Congressman Jack Murtha. The other members of the delegation are:
Senator Christopher S. Bond
Congressman Mickey Edwards
Congressman John Kasich
Congressman John Rowland
Congresswoman Beverly Byron
Congressman Alan Mollohan
Howard Penniman, elections expert, American Enterprise Institute
Mario Paredes, executive director, Northwest Regional Center for Hispanics (New York)
Merom Brachman, retired chairman, Ohio Ethics Commission
Eugenia Kemble, executive director, Free Trade Union Institute
Susan Kaufman-Purcell, Council on Foreign Relations (New York)
John White, former chairman, Democratic National Committee
Devier Pierson, Pierson Semmes and Finley
James Dyer, Deputy Assistant to the President
Ambassador Edwin G. Corr, U.S. Ambassador to El Salvador
Fritz Korth, advisory member, International Foundation for Electoral Systems
Betsy Warren, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Legislation
In contrast to recent developments in Panama and Nicaragua, El Salvador's democratic elections demonstrate the commitment of the Government and citizens of El Salvador to democratic processes and rule. The Communist guerrillas of El Salvador, the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), who have been supported by Nicaragua's Communist regime since 1979, have chosen not to participate in the elections and have instead engaged in the acts of violence and terrorism to intimidate citizens and disrupt the elections. But as has been demonstrated in the past, the determined and courageous people of El Salvador have never succumbed to the violence and threats from the FMLN. They have voted in record numbers in a progression of elections from 1982 on, repudiating the Communist FMLN and affirming their commitment to democracy. The President strongly supports the people of El Salvador and their democratic aspirations and is demonstrating this support by sending this delegation.