El Salvador

Key Takeaways: Cost of Politics

Population: 45 million
Head of Government: President Nayib Bukele
Ruling party/coalition: Grand Alliance for National Unity
Last election: 2019 (presidential), 2021 (legislative)
Next election: 2024 (presidential), 2026 (legislative)
Registered voters: 5.39 million (2020)
Annual salary of member of legislature: $42,000
Year of study: 2021

The minimum investment for a competitive campaign for a congressional seat is estimated between US$30,000-50,000, although it is also indicated that the sum required to win is nearer US$200,000.

Getting engaged and staying involved in politics in El Salvador involves high material and symbolic costs.

El Salvador has some of the weakest regulations in Latin America in terms of financing and oversight of political parties and candidacy’s resources.

Organised crime and criminal gangs influence the voting decision of the communities or people under their control.

Contributions from abroad are essential to pool resources for political parties and their electoral processes.

The political culture that prevails in one in which candidates and political authorities are expected to give some material gift to voters in exchange for their support.

Legislators can spend more than 4 times their annual salary they will receive when in office to get elected.

Key Findings

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Context

The FMLN-ARENA bipartisanship dictated Salvadoran politics since the nineties and symbolised the transition to democracy and the end of the civil war. Nevertheless, in the last few years the political system has given way to new players, with the registration of new parties such as Grand Alliance for National Unity and Democratic Change
A fragile rule of law with little capacity for action and high levels of corruption and violence are a daily reality. In terms of corruption, and according to Transparency International, El Salvador ranks 113 out of 198 worldwide. In 2019 alone, corruption accusations were filed against three former presidents.

Cost of politics drivers

An important driver for the high costs of politics are clientelistic practices that throughout Salvadoran history have been set between the population and candidates for elected office, public authorities or executive, legislative and local governments representatives.
The weakness in accountability mechanisms in politics is also rooted in the absence of social practices for citizens to demand accountability from political authorities or representatives, perhaps also aggravated by civil society’s organizational fragility to demand it.
The diaspora’s resources and influence are fundamental for the success or failure of candidacies and political careers. Which means the proselytizing trips/tours to the United States, to raise funds mainly, are part of the ‘parallel’ budgets (costs) of the electoral campaigns of candidates and of all political parties.
In electoral processes, several candidates and former candidates mentioned that organized crime either makes it easier for them or prevents them from safely accessing certain territories to carry out campaign work.

Conclusions and recomendations

Substantive modifications are required to the Electoral Act, the Political Parties Act and even the Political Constitution of the Republic. This includes the neutralizationof the electoral body, the creation of a solvent and professional comptroller's office and supervision of the financing of campaigns and political parties within the electoral body, assuring its administrative, financial and political autonomy.
Modifications are needed to the regulations on private funding, seeking to make sources of funding and donors more transparent, and to exercise better control over the accounting and internal audits of political parties.
It is also essential to tackle the various forms of corruption, clientelism, and the interference of national and transnational de facto powers, as well as to establish a new culture of political responsibility and accountability in formal and informal educational processes and systems.

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