Network – Central America

Partner Organization: FMLN - Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional
Activities: Strengthen cooperation between left parties in the Central American working group within Foro São Paolo.
Project Started in: 2009
Project Budget: 400 000 SEK for the period 2009-2010

The purpose of the project is to strengthen cooperation between left parties in the Central American working group of Foro São Paolo in their struggle for participative democracy that includes all of the population. This Central American democracy network (Red Mezoamericano de Democracia – Remade) aims to build and run an interactive web portal and arrange yearly conferences for political and ideological exchange of experiences and debate.

From guerilla warfare to parliamentary struggle
Many of today’s Central American parties have their roots in armed liberation movements and for, a long time, worked in repressive and undemocratic societies. With the peace agreements signed in the 90s, the Central American countries began democratizing processes. But still, today, democracy faces resistance. In Guatemala and El Salvador the democratizing process is threatened and made more difficult by military groups that still retain power. In Honduras it was broken off by a military coup in 2009, which also is a threat to popular involvement in the other countries of the region. The parties in the Remade project feel that there is a great need to strengthen contacts and exchange of experiences among themselves, to expand them to new areas and promote continuity and stability over the middle and long terms. The project builds on the cooperation in Foro São Paulo’s Central America working group and positive experiences from, among others, the Esquipulas process, which stressed the importance of a broad societal dialogue and a regional perspective for the social, political and economic problems in Central America.

Interactive web portal, working meetings, seminars and conferences
The network uses its own interactive web portal to exchange experiences and information among the participating parties. Participants also meet each other via working meetings, seminars and conferences. The formally cooperating party is the FMLN in El Salvador, which has responsibility for coordination and maintains the web portal, but the project is led by a steering committee in which all of the participating parties have a representative. The activities are aimed at strengthening the efforts to develop an inclusive and participative democracy. Within the network, it is possible to create specialized subcommittees as needed (e.g., women’s groups, mayors, youth, etc.).

FMLN - Frente Farabundo Martí para la Liberación Nacional
FMLN has its roots in the armed liberation struggle in El Salvador and, for a long time, worked in a repressive, undemocratic society. As a liberation movement, the FMLN negotiated a peace agreement with the government in 1992 and has since been converted into a party and developed into the country’s largest political power. In the 1994 election the FMLN received 30% of the votes. Since then the party has had an increasing number of seats in the Legislative Assembly. In 2009 the FMLN candidate won the presidential election but the party did not receive a majority of its own in the Assembly. However, the FMLN does have a majority in most of the departments and municipalities.

Facts about the Region
Region/Countries: Central America and the Caribbean, until now participating countries: El Salvador – FMLN, Guatemala – ANN and URNG, Honduras FNRP, Panama – PPP, Costa Rica – FA, PLN, Mexico – PRD, PT

Languages:
Spanish (Costa Rica, Panama)
Spanish, Indigenous languages (El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico)

Population: (2010, estimated)
4 million (Costa Rica)
7 million (El Salvador)
13 million (Guatemala)
8 million (Honduras)
111 million (Mexico)
3 million (Panama)

BNP/capita: (2009, estimated)
10 900 USD (Costa Rica)
7 200 USD (El Salvador)
5 100 USD (Guatemala)
4 100 USD (Honduras)
13 200 USD (Mexico)
12 100 USD (Panama)

Area:
51 100 km² (Costa Rica)
21 041 km² (El Salvador)
108 889 km² (Guatemala)
112 090 km² (Honduras)
1 964 375 km² (Mexico)
75 420 km² (Panama)

More Information
Remade: www.remade.webs.com
FMLN El Salvador: www.fmln.org.sv

For more information contact Elisabeth Hedlund: elisabeth.hedlund@vansterpartiet.se