El Salvador’s FMLN fought for democracy, now they defend it from authoritarian rule

Víctor Suazo, a candidate of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front ( FMLN ), talks about the upcoming elections in El Salvador and the struggle waged by his party to save the country’s democracy and institutions

February 24, 2021 by Peoples Dispatch

5.4 million Salvadorans will go to the polls on Sunday February 28 to elect 84 legislators of the National Assembly, as well as 262 mayors, municipal councils, and the deputies of the Central American Parliament. These elections come at a crucial moment in El Salvador when the national government led by President Nayib Bukele has been accused of implementing authoritarian policies and fostering a climate of hatred against political opposition.
In this context, the left party and movement, the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front ( FMLN ), is waging an important struggle to defend El Salvador’s young democracy and its institutions. In these elections, they have proposed an ambitious program to save the country from the deepening political, economic and institutional crisis. We spoke to Víctor Suazo, a candidate for the legislative assembly for San Salvador and a member of FMLN, about what is at stake in these elections.