“TSE doesn't want to accept its culpability in this disaster”: ARENA chief meeting audios

“The Supreme Election Tribunal (TSE) does not want to accept its culpability in this whole debacle, it wants to clean itself up to others and even tried to do it to us, the opposition parties. They don't want to admit that everything is the result of their progress,” says Arena's president Carlos Saade.

According to some, the politician attended a private meeting held by the Supreme Election Tribunal (TSE) with representatives of political parties Audios published by El Faro, the presiding judge, Dora Martínez, confirms that from within the TSE, they do not rule out that they may have intervened to make things this way. He spoke of a possible attempt at internal boycott, without giving any other details.

Chad downplays what the judge said, instead confirming that since the system's failings began to be made public, his anger grows with some officials looking for scapegoats for the “catastrophe.”

Also read: Fatigue and without a guide: This is counting votes with failures of the TSE system

“When these people sacrificed so much, they even tried to blame the polling booths… The truth is that it was the result of their own decisions,” says Saade, then lists some examples his party members told him. They deplored: Changes made to JRVs at the start of voting where citizens who had attended the exercise were replaced by Nuvas Ideas members who were ignorant of the process and lacked credentials. Also, some of the designated transmitters were replaced by other cultists of the official party, who also did not know the protocol.

Furthermore, he points out that some JRVs do not even have sufficient security documentation to carry out this process, a point that was accepted by Ignacio Villagrán, head of IT at the TSE.

According to Sade, in addition to these results, a good part of the “confusing” result was due to the judges “improving on the fly.” As proof of this, the meeting announced that some polling centers will be opened abroad as many citizens did not turn up on time to vote, and said there were three locations. When they publicly announced that they would reverse the decision, they specified six sites.

“Are they 6 or are they 3? They didn't agree. And the brothers abroad accuse us of being opposition party saying that we are against voting. We are only on the side of law,” he opined. He also says that they were not made clear where the final inspection process would take place, either at the Jorge El Magico Gonzalez stadium or the El Salvador National Sports Association (INDES) where there are 300 or 400 tables. All ballot boxes are kept to be checked.

As a party, Sade assures they were told they could not have a janitor per table due to “space issues.” However, from the Nuevas Ideas party, they opined that they would appoint one person for each.

“If they are allowed, they must recognize us and other parties. “This is fair and legal,” says Sade. PCN's deputy Reynaldo Cardosa expressed his complaints about the TSE's upgrades, especially the place where the final inspection will be carried out.

“How is it possible that a collegiate body like the Supreme Election Tribunal, at this time, has no decision and no certainty. It is sad to see what is happening in a college headed by its chairman. This has never happened in the country. I have won five terms, six and a half with him, and paid so much money for nothing, and we have never seen this kind of disorder. “How come the people at the table are filling out the minutes by hand? I'm sorry. When millions and millions have been spent,” Cardosa said.

The president of the Arena, Carlos Saade, criticizes the Attorney General of the Republic, Rodolfo Delgado, who did not publicly express any of the problems registered in the February 4 local vote, for example, pointing to the Spanish company. INDRA, the provider of the electronic voting system, is denying Salvadorans abroad the ability to vote because the time has already passed.

“We know that lawyers answer to the presidency just like these magistrates. They will not do anything without being told from there,” he says.

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