European nuclear free zone, "Missing', reviews and much more! army is beginning to peasants who did ried out on been abandoned vote because of the fighting.
The reports of reprisals against those who did not vote come as no surprise ell the portions ine time of elections indicated that the relatively high turnout was precisely because reprisals. Voting is compulsory Salvador Article 145 of the transitional electoral law Britain was the only country to send observers to the elections. The report of the British observers John Galsworthy, former ambassador Mexico and Professor Derek Bowett was published on 7 May and is a complete whitewash of REPORTS from El Salvador suggest that the take reprisals not vote in last March's phoney election. Aerial attacks have been carvillages, and many others have by peasants who boycotted the election or who were unable to the government's terror tactics in forcing the elections through.
According to their report the was fair' and the armed forces were exemplary in taining voung and providing the necessary protection elections to take place'. They conclude that the high turnout for the election was 'a decisive rejection of the left's call for a boycott of the election' In sending these observers Margaret Thatcher was acting out of a sure sense inter-imperialist solidarity.
Apart from being alone in Western Europe in sending observers to sanction the phoney elections, Bri tain was only one of eight Colmase agree to send observers.
The British observers were carefully guarded and closeted luxury hotels — well away from the fighting and the poverty-stricken shanty towns which surround the capital of San Salvador Their knowledge overali demonstrated in their reference to El Salvador's 'frontiers with Nicaragua' - in tact no such frontiel exists.
Meanwhile the direction of the new government which emerged from the elections is becoming clear. The new President Alvaro Magana intends to suspend the limited land reform decreed by Chris tian Democratic President Duarte. reform did not challenge the huge estates of the rich nave croppers the , possibility of owning their own land Although rarely put into effect the land reform was hated by the middle class as a symptom of Duarte's alleged 'weakness' towards communism. supporting Magana as the new presi dent the United States insisted that the land reform Saolle stay. Magana's decision to jettison the land reform is indicative of where the real power now les — with the more reac tionary sectors of the army and the extreme right wing in the assembly Roberto D'Aubuisson, president of the assemb t and leader of the fascist ARENA party Since the elections on 28 March there had been a relative lull in the fighting the LICIC has been resurgence of guerrilla activity, especially night time raids and the collec tion of war taxes on the major highways.
The continuing paign of solidarity with the pcopic Salvado must highlight the solidari angan. The reportf the Thatcher and British observers is a scan. dal and a disgrace.
Only the blind and Thatcher's agents could fail realise thousands of Salvadoreans not oni wanted to vote but were desperate to vote - - to ge their papers in order anc their identity card stamped. Those didn't are now facing the tender mercies of the arm and the national guard who according British observers, COR CROACA fashion'.
Socialist Challenge 28 May 1982
From Ros Kaplan on the Golan Heights