acudimos a las urnas
Because the elections here occur on Sunday (and because I am waiting for Emma to wake up from a nap) I figure now is a pertinent time to talk a bit about the political climate. I assume that the basics are being broadcast where you are: that Cristina Kirchner, wife of the current president, is the frontrunner and will win barring some major political blunder. Her closest competition is another woman, Elisa Carrio– so it looks like Argentina is going to ELECT their first female president (the first woman president in the country was Isabel Peron, who, as vice president, replaced her husband after his death). The majority of Argentines we have talked to about elections up to this point (o sea- middle class people from Buenos Aires, cab drivers, and waiters) do not like Cristina and think that Elisa is worse. However, they all concede that Cristina will win.
Another interesting subject that I think should be highlighted is that in Argentina there is a legal obligation to vote. While a large percentage of votes may be blank ballots or even cancelled, everyone legally needs to turn out on Sunday unless they are over 70 years old, sick, or live more than 500km from a voting station.
One final note I would like to end on is a quote that I read in the newspaper the other day which I think highlights the different mentality that exists here about voting (at least compared to the US and Canada). A rough english translation follows the spanish:
El proximo domingo habra elecciones. Por sexta vez consecutiva, elegiremos a nuestro presidente y vicepresidente, ademas de senadores y disputados nacionales y autoridades locales. La posibilidad de votar a quienes nos representan es un logro de toda nuestra sociedad.
Translates: Next Sunday there will be elections. For the sixth consecutive time, we will select our president and vicepresident, as well as senators, national deputies, and local authorities. The possibility to vote for those that best represent us is an achievement for our entire society.
