Who Will You Vote For?

There will be major political elections in Peru on Sunday (tomorrow). They are electing mayors for all the town/cities throughout Peru. It's been very interesting to be here and witness the campaign process in another culture. It's actually very similar to U.S. campaigns - a lot of mud-slinging and candidates who never actually answer questions posed. The mayor for Miraflores (where I currently live) is basically a race between two women. There's been a lot of drama in the past few weeks between the two of them. I'm anxious to see who wins.

The election process in Peru is quite different from that in the States. In Peru it is mandatory that everyone votes if they are 18 or older. They have a card that gets stamped/sealed when they vote, and they have to show that card at the bank whenever they go to make a transaction. If they haven't voted, they can't deposit or withdraw money. In order to get access to the banks again, they have to pay a fine. The amount of the fine depends on their yearly income. Also, they have a dry law throughout the country starting at midnight on Thursday (which is technically Friday) and lasting until noon on Monday. No one can buy alcohol or drink in public places during that time.

Next year will be another interesting election year here because they will be electing a new president. One of the major candidates for President is Keiko Fujimori, the 35-year-old daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori. Alberto is currently serving a 32-year prison sentence for his role in killings and kidnappings while fighting against the terrorism of the Shining Path during his presidency. Part of the sentence is also for embezzlement. Thus, the fact that his daughter is running is interesting because if she wins, she could pardon him and get him out of jail.

One more tidbit about elections here: it's perfectly normal and acceptable to ask someone who they are going to vote for. So, who will it be? Vamos a ver.