Eyewitness El Salvador: Historic First Congress “Shafik Handal” of the FMLN

November 6, 7, 8 the historical first Congress Shafik Handal of the FMLN took place in El Salvador. Frank Lara, a US-based activist attended as an international observer. The congress is the culmination of a major internal period of discussions of the FMLN that began in July 26th and ended in Sept 13th. At this time, at all levels of the Party apparatus, cadre and supporters of the Party discussed three major theoretical documents on strategy and tactics in a period where the Party has won the presidency for a second time and maintains a strong and consistant presence in the National Assembly.

The sheer size of the list of international observers and solidarity statements demonstrates the far-reaching anticipation that was had by progressive movements and organization in wanting to see the outcomes of the Congress. Commemorating the launch of the new website Cuba-Venezuela.org, Lara asked a delegate from the PSUV- Partido Socialista Unido de Venezuela, Lídice Navas, to explain why it was so important to raise awareness of the great achievements of Venezuela in the period of the revolutionary leader Hugo Chavez and the current president Nicolas Maduro.

Another important act of solidarity came from Cuba. Cuba, the historic and greatly respected revolution, received a standing ovation with thunderous chants of “Fidel, Fidel, Fidel!.” As stated by Jose Ramon Balaguer Cabrera, international delegate from the PCC-Partido Comunista de Cuba, the Congress of the FMLN is not just a small meeting from a small country, but it has implications for the Left of all Latin America. Here in the US, the newly launched Cuba and Venezuela Solidarity Committee stands with the progressive movements in Latin America that seek to develop an alternative to neoliberalism and resist the incursion by the giant US economy which seeks to control of the sovereignty of free nations.