The Salvadoran Foundation for Economic and Social Development, Fusades, has released a report entitled "Legal and Institutional Situation, II Semester of 2012."
Legal and Institutional Situation Report II half of 2012
The report presents an analysis of the most significant situations for the period, through the ongoing and systematic monitoring of developments affecting the Salvadoran legal system.
The new deadline for enforcement of the government transparency law will be one year.
The Legislature partially agreed with some of the observations done by the Executive branch, including recognition that some of the time frames included on the text were insufficient considering the purpose of the law and that a data base containing the information must first be created.
The Economic Development Foundation (FUSADES), asked the President to urgently approve the Law on Access to Public Information.
The majority at the Legislature agreed on a historic approval, so Fusades believes this is the time to complete the formation process of the law since the legislative proposal has been discussed for over 2 years. The legislation provides for a gradual implementation by setting different time frames for the law to enter into full effect.
Two bills presented in 2008 and 2009 have not made any progress in the legislative assembly.
The bills relate to the transparency of and access to information and seek to guarantee citizens' rights to know what the government is doing.
"Claudia Umaña, from the Salvadoran Foundation for Economic and Social Development (Fusades), said last week that, despite being in the national interest, the issue continues to face resistance, particularly political," reports Diariocolatino.com.
Following the adoption in Guatemala of the Law on Public Information Access, El Salvador and Costa Rica are the only ones in the isthmus that lack a similar law.
The Salvadoran Foundation for Economic and Social Development (FUSADES) presented yesterday its draft law on transparency and access to public information.
The proposal includes 113 articles that seek to force all state institutions to deliver public information to all citizens.
The law, which regulates access to information publicly administered information, will come into effect 180 days after it is published.
The regulations guarantee the people the right to request and access government information.
Public information is defined to include: budget reports, deposit of public funds, usufruct concessions and list of works in progress, etc.
Las week the session of Congress introduced a bill called the Access to Public Information Law.
In the midst of the turbulance caused by the transparency scandals in the Legislature, the law could not have arrived at a better time. Now that the deputies are "washing their faces" before the citizens they are starting to approve this initiative.
The Constitution contemplates free access to public information but, typical of public officials, they did not pay attention to citizen requirements, especially those of the national press.