Elections

We are in the last days of the campaign. Sunday the elections will be held. We have been promised two days, that is Sunday and Monday, of uninterrupted electricity. As a foreigner, that's one of the best parts of the elections!

What is campaigning like here? In a word: noisy. Each political party organizes huge meetings, and caravans that  parade down the street. The supporters are waving flags with the colors of the party they support. There are people on foot, SUV's lots of trucks, and large vehicles filled with people. They have many boom box vehicles, blaring out music and political talk to the neighborhood as they pass. When one party went down my street, it took about 20 minutes for them to get past.

Votes are commonly promised in exchange for some favor the politician does for the individual, or a gift given. Often it involves money. Perhaps he buys some medicine that is needed, or gives him some other type of financial help. Dominican Today said: "The Electoral Board’s Administrative Chamber (JCE) ordered the City councils and the Government to halt social programs such as the handout of food rations, home appliances, construction equipment and other aid from May 14 to 17, aimed at promoting fairness among the political parties."

So votes must not be bought during those dates. 

Many people go home to their city or town of origin to vote. Previously this was a requirement, but I have heard that you can actually have them transfer the paperwork to your new city, and vote there these days.

Traffic jams. That's another biggie during the campaign. Today, I took a taxi across the city. At one point we were stopped for 20 minutes. We were near the beginning of the traffic jam, so we got out much more quickly than others. People got out of their cars, and looked around, and chatted, trying to figure out the holdup. They realized quickly that it was a political rally that was nearby.

As the traffic finally began to move, we looked in astonishment at the opposing traffic. This main street that runs through the whole length of the city, was one long full parking lot, for miles!  A couple of years ago, during the elections, I got caught in traffic. It took a few hours to get home, when normally it would have been a half hour.

Dominicans get much more personally involved in their elections than do Americans. Sometimes I think it is just an excuse for a big party. But really, that would not be fair. The politician gives them something, or promises them something,  and they are expected to go to his meetings, supporting him in exchange.

Elections are also a time when things get done. It's when the garbage truck actually shows up, and the holes in the roads are repaired. (Don't worry, they will be repaired again next election.)

Most elections, there is some amount of violence, and this one is not exception. Still, over the years, the violent aspect of elections has diminished greatly. This year, shots were fired into one of the caravans, and one of the candidates ended up with a broken rib. No one actually got shot, but there were scratches, bumps, and bruises, as everyone rushed to get out of the line of fire.

Remember, what I'm writing here is to give you a foreigner's perspective of an election. We "expats" keep our distance from the actual issues, and campaign. All that is left for us is the noise, traffic, and hooray! electricity for two solid days! Elections are an important part of this Dominican Life.