CNE President Ana Hall, a representative of the opposition Liberal Party (PL), called for a session of the plenary, which also includes the Libertad y Refundacion (Libre, the ruling party) and the Nacional (PN, the main right-wing opposition force).

The agenda includes strategic points for the conduct of the elections, such as the approval of the Electoral Observation Regulations and the model for letters of understanding, which will govern the participation of national and international missions.

The agenda also includes the approval of 25 requests from organizations interested in attending as observers, including some from the so-called civil society and business sectors, which have been singled out for their obvious bias, to the detriment of Libre.

Councilor Marlon Ochoa, the ruling party’s representative on the governing body of plebiscite processes in this Central American nation, addressed the issue of observation.

“I want to appeal to those who are trying to exert pressure on the issue of observation and reiterate that the electoral process is directed by the full National Electoral Council, not the media or civil society organizations. We have autonomy and independence,” he said.

The presidential candidates with the best chances of winning, according to various opinion polls, are Rixi Moncada of Libre; Nasry Asfura of the PN; and Salvador Nasralla of the PL, the two traditional parties that embody the so-called bipartisanship.

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