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News > Latin America

El Salvador Vice-President Ortiz 'Won't be FMLN Candidate'

  • El Salvador's Vice-President Oscar Ortiz will not be Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front's candidate in the 2019 presidential elections.

    El Salvador's Vice-President Oscar Ortiz will not be Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front's candidate in the 2019 presidential elections. | Photo: EFE

Published 22 March 2018
Opinion

The Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front candidate should be strong and welcome new challenges which come with change, the vice-president said.

El Salvador's Vice-President Oscar Ortiz will not be running as the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) candidate in the upcoming 2019 presidential elections, he has announced.

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El Salvador Election Officials Say Vote Counting 'Error' Fixed

The minister made the announcement Wednesday, saying that although he had "legitimate interest" in running for the coveted administrative position, he would instead devote himself to his current role.

"This responsibility that the president has delegated to me is above any personal interest and I know that participating in an internal election for a presidential candidacy is a right that we have – all the militants and citizens – but this time I have decided to concentrate on the tasks of public direction that have been entrusted to me to close this cycle of government in which we are integrated. We cannot be with one foot here and another there."

The vice-president said he expects the candidate to be strong and welcome new challenges which come with change from one generation to the next.

"I am convinced that the FMLN has to make profound changes, that it has to act with intelligence, with much openness, with much humility to build the presidential candidacy that will represent the left and the FMLN in the next presidential elections," Ortiz said.

RELATED: 
FMLN Closes Its Electoral Campaign in El Salvador

Former Public Works Minister and FMLN candidate Gerson Martinez responded by saying he had no intention of becoming the party's sole candidate, but insists that the election be conducted in a "democratic, transparent and open" manner.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) called attention to irregularities and informatics "errors" in voting software during the legislative and municipal elections.

The General Prosecutor's Office (FGR) acknowledged the discrepancies and confirmed that an investigation would be conducted by electoral authorities to determine any criminal or administrative responsibilities.

Smartmatic Commercial Director Francisco Campo said "human error" had caused the software to list the candidates in a disorganized way. As a result, the software had to process 13,000 tally sheets a second time, slightly changing the preliminary outcome.

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