[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 44 (Thursday, March 12, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3066-S3067]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          EL SALVADOR ELECTION

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, this Sunday the people of El Salvador will 
go to the polls to elect a new President. As one Senator who has 
followed developments in that country and observed with concern the 
steady rise in violent crime, including organized crime and drug 
trafficking, I hope that whoever wins the election makes reforming the 
police and justice system a priority.
  United States assistance to El Salvador is a small fraction of what 
it was during the 1980s, but in 2006 El Salvador signed a 5-year 
compact with the Millennium Challenge Corporation. The compact totals 
$461 million, and focuses on road construction, economic and social 
development in the area of the country bordering Honduras that bore the 
brunt of the worst consequences of the civil war.
  I had hoped that a portion of the MCC compact would be used to 
strengthen El Salvador's dysfunctional judicial system, both to help 
reduce violent crime and attract foreign investment, but unfortunately 
that was not the decision of the Salvadoran Government or the Bush 
administration at the time. Nevertheless, the MCC compact does seek to 
improve the lives of some of El Salvador's poorest communities and I 
support it.
  Recently, I have been concerned with reports that some Salvadorans 
involved in the election campaign may have asserted that if the 
opposition party candidate wins the election the United States will 
stop funding the MCC compact. Such an assertion, presumably to 
intimidate voters, would be completely false.
  We take no position on the Salvadoran election. It is entirely for 
the people of El Salvador to decide who their next President will be. 
The MCC compact will continue regardless of who wins on Sunday, as long 
as the policies of the new Government, of whichever party, are 
consistent with

[[Page S3067]]

the MCC's eligibility criteria, including controlling corruption and 
investing in health and education.
  I look forward to the results of Sunday's election and the 
opportunity for our two countries to work together for a brighter 
future.

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