Newspapers in El Salvador
According to EZINERELIGION.COM, El Salvador is a country located in North America. The daily press in El Salvador has a relatively large distribution (28 newspaper excl. Per 1,000 residents, 2000). The largest of El Salvador’s eight daily newspapers is La Prensa Gráfica (founded in 1915, edition: 100,000 copies) in San Salvador, designated as an independent conservative, and the independent El Diario de Hoy (founded in 1936, about 115,000 copies). The liberal evening newspaper El Mundo (founded in 1967) has an edition of about 60,000 copies.
According to THESCIENCETUTOR.ORG, El Salvador has about 65 commercial radio stations. Radio also plays a major political role. The former left-wing guerrilla FMLN’s stations Radio Venceremos and Radio Farabundo Martí were legalized in 1992. Radio Verdad is a right-wing radio that directs its broadcasts to the FMLN. A 1996 law prohibits local radio and non-commercial broadcasters. Television broadcasts in one state and eight commercial TV channels. Radio and TV have significant distribution with 478 radio and 201 TV receivers per 1,000 residents (2000).
Culture
According to CALCULATORINC, the culture consists of a mix of the indigenous peoples’ culture and customs brought by the European colonizers. But the influences from North America and the rest of Latin America are also strong.
Outside San Salvador there are ruins and remains of the people who lived in the country during the Spanish conquest. Between the years 250 and 900 AD, great achievements were made in architecture and art that can be viewed in connection with the ruins and at the Anthropological Museum in San Salvador. In a few smaller communities – mainly Cacaopera, Panchimalco and Ahuachapan – small groups of indigenous peoples try to preserve their ancestral traditions, religions, languages and cultures.
In San Salvador there is a small stage for domestic theater and music.
The Salvadoran literature holds several poets of importance. These include Alberto Masferrer (1868–1932), Francisco Gavidia (1863–1955), Claudia Lars (1899–1974), Roque Dalton (1935–1975) and Manlio Argueta (1935–). The latter two started a literary circle in the late 1950s, which played a central role in the resistance to the military dictatorship. Other significant authors are Claribel Alegría (1924–2018) Alvaro Menen Desleal (1931–2000), Miguel Huezo Mixco (1954–), Horacio Castellanos Moya (1957–) and Mario Bencastro (1949–), who are also visual artists.
2018
November
Record in women’s murder
November 15
El Salvador is found to have a macabre record: relatively more femicidios are committed here – murders of women just because they are women – than in any other country in Latin America and the Caribbean. The figure is over ten murders per 100,000 women. The information comes from the United Nations Economic Commission for the region, Eclac.
October
Former Archbishop Romero saintly declared
October 14
President Sánchez Cerén is in Rome to attend the saintly declaration of Archbishop Óscar Romero, who was El Salvador’s archbishop when he was assassinated by the military during a 1980 mass rally (see also May 2015).
September
Ex-president Saca gets jail
September 12
Former President Antonio Saca is sentenced to ten years in prison for stealing $ 301 million from the Treasury during his time as President (2004-2009). Saca has pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering, thereby avoiding the maximum penalty of 25 years he could otherwise have been convicted. Since he has been incarcerated for two years (see October 2016), he now only has to serve eight years in prison. Saca’s former private secretary is also sentenced to ten years in prison, while two other people who served during his presidency receive five years in prison. Saca is the first former president convicted of corruption in El Salvador.
August
Taiwan switches to China
21th of August
El Salvador establishes diplomatic relations with China, thereby severing relations with Taiwan. The country is following a trend as fewer and fewer countries in the world maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Foreign Minister Carlos Castaneda calls it a “strategic decision”. Among countries in the region, Panama and the Dominican Republic have recently switched to China.
June
Detention order for ex-president
June 8
The state prosecutor issues a warrant for former President Mauricio Funes and some 30 of his government members and close associates. Fune’s government is accused of embezzling $ 351 million. Funes, who was president from 2009–2014, has been living in exile in Nicaragua since 2016 (see also November 2017).
May
Primary choice in FMLN
May 27th
Following the stinging defeat in the parliamentary and municipal elections in March, the ruling FMLN has decided to hold primary elections ahead of the February 2019 presidential election. In an opinion poll a few days before the primary election, the FMLN is far behind the two leading candidates: former San Salvador Mayor Nayib Bukele, who broke with the FMLN, and Arenas Juan Carlos Calleja.
March
Setback for the government in parliamentary elections
4th of March
Elections are held for Parliament and municipalities. The result is a setback for the ruling party FMLN, which backs from 31 to 23 seats, while the largest party Arena progresses from 32 to 37 seats. Gana receives 11 seats, PCN 8, PDC 3 and the other 2 seats.
February
Murdered woman is released in attention abortion case
February 15
In an internationally recognized case, an unexpected woman is released, Teodora Vásquez, who has been jailed for more than ten years after being convicted of murder under El Salvador’s extremely harsh abortion legislation. The Supreme Court unexpectedly changes her sentence, just two months after another court ruled a 30-year prison sentence. Teodora Vásquez was arrested in 2007 and convicted of murdering her child despite calling herself an ambulance when she suffered severe pain in the ninth month of pregnancy. The child was stillborn. Amnesty International and other human rights groups have been pushing for the ruling to be lifted. In March, another woman, 34-year-old Maira Verónica Figueroa Marroquín, who was also sentenced to 30 years in prison in a similar case, is released after 15 years in prison. See also Social conditions.
January
Tens of thousands of Salvadorans are losing the right to be in the United States
January 8
The United States decides to abandon the temporary protection status (TPS) that Salvadorans received after the two earthquakes that shook the country in 2001 (see Modern History). TPS provides temporary residence permits for citizens from severely crisis-hit countries. The decision affects nearly 200,000 people who must now leave the United States, if they fail to obtain a permanent residence permit. In El Salvador, the message is received with dismay – it will be very difficult for the poor country if tens of thousands of US citizens are suddenly forced to move back home.
