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| Welcome to edition 3434 published on 08/31/2007 | There are 6 articles in this week´s edition.
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Just nine days before the general elections, electoral observers have identified serious problems that could hamper the credibility of the forthcoming electoral process. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE), in charge of organizing, supervising and guaranteeing the transparency of the forthcoming elections, is in a state of disarray and has lost credibility among the electorate. The result, in a context of increasing violence, is a dangerous mix of lawlessness and impunity. With an increasingly narrow margin between frontrunners Álvaro Colom and Otto Pérez Molina, political analysts predict that the forthcoming elections will be highly contested. Should this occur, a weakened and discredited the country's weakened and discredited electoral authorities would be in no position to safeguard the transparency of the electoral process.
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published 08/31/2007 |
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Following allegations that transnational oil companies were rationing fuel to gas stations, the government has allowed two gas distributors to import fuel themselves. Meanwhile, the government is also working to jumpstart the fuel concession process that sputtered out earlier this year.
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published 08/31/2007 |
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For the first time since coming to office in January, President Daniel Ortega is focusing on diplomacy with the rest of Central America . Until recently, his most high-profile diplomatic efforts were directed at the other side of the globe, particularly Libya and Iran . This prompted Costa Rican president Óscar Arias to snap at Ortega, grousing that he was “ignoring his neighbors”. But the malice seems to have already peeked and abided, at least for the moment. On August 15 Ortega dumped on Arias during the 20th anniversary of the Esquipulas II Peace Accords for “conspiring” against the Sandinistas. Less than a week later the two met for a reportedly “friendly and productive” meeting. But Ortega has no intention of breaking off with the Iranians, who recently pledged US$1.2 billion in aid to Nicaragua . With the rising specter of a US attack on Iran , it remains to be seen how Arias, and the rest of the isthmus, will react to the Iranian presence next door.
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published 08/31/2007 |
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Although the government recently boasted of the economy's strength, there is no indication that most Salvadorans have seen their living standards improve. Even as the GDP continues to grow 4% annually, poverty and unemployment plague more than 40% of the population. Meanwhile, the Salvadoran Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUSADES) recently released a report praising the government's work in achieving fiscal stability. The government managed this in part by improving tax collection, but also by slashing public investment. With public spending standing at 2.5% of GDP, it remains to be seen if real economic growth is sustainable in the long term.
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published 08/31/2007 |
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The government recently published its latest report to the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), trumpeting a series of purported achievements in terms of eradicating racial discrimination against Costa Rica's ethnic minorities. However, indigenous communities issued their own report, which paints a very different picture. In the country known as “the Switzerland of Central America”, discrimination is part of everyday life for indigenous people whose land rights continue to be violated and who lack access to basic services such as schools, hospitals and safe drinking water.
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published 08/31/2007 |
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The Inter-American Dialogue on Water Resource Management (D6) brought together 500 participants from various disciplines to discuss water resource management in the Americas. The five day event, hosted by Guatemala, generated few concrete results, although participants agreed on one thing: governments must take a more active role in providing water services. Several participants noted that this issue has been much discussed in recent years, without many significant gains.
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published 08/31/2007 |
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