Although 24.7 million Peruvians are called to the polls for the municipal and regional elections, the first days left postcards that showed the lack of interest of the citizens with the politics of that country. This is because the polling places were empty and many summoned members (spokespersons) were absent.
Empty tables due to the absence of the summoned members (table members) and scarcity of voters marked the first hours of the regional and municipal elections in Peru, which shows the disinterest of citizens with the politics of that country.
“The members had not come, only the president was there. They had to grab someone from the line forcing him, there was a young man who volunteered, then they asked for the identity document to fine those who did not offer themselves, “Martín Baca told EFE in line before voting in Lima.
Baca waited more than an hour in the central Campo de Marte park, where a large open-air polling station was installed under the gray sky of the capital.
“They told me that the one who was playing had not shown up and I was among the first in line, so I accepted to be a volunteer (…) I am a widow, I have the time available,” said Isabel Martínez, who will have to remain in her position until the tables close.
Beside him, Ana Mendoza arrived at the voting center to be president of the polling station at 6:00 in the morning, but it could not open until almost 10:00 because one person was missing.
“Fortunately, the lady offered herself and is an example to follow,” he said after adding that they had not found any incident apart from this delay.
This Sunday, 24.7 million Peruvians are called to the polls to decide their regional and municipal leaders for the period 2023-2026.
According to the National Office of Electoral Processes (ONPE), at 10.30 in the morning 41,988 polling stations had been installed, when the electoral body had reported that there were a total of 84,323 expected.
Delays in table installation
At the beginning of election day, the small white tents in the Lima park were filled with long lines of people or simply empty, with the members of the polling stations waiting for the rest to arrive, a phenomenon that was repeated in schools and polling stations around the world. country.
A lady who did not want to reveal her name pointed out that she had been in line for more than an hour and a half because the members of the tables did not come.
“We had to encourage the Peruvians so that they could collaborate so that we could vote, because they told us that if they did not set up the table we would have to pay a fine. It’s not fair like this,” she said without explaining the reasons why she did not hold a position herself.
A few seconds before depositing the vote in the ballot box, it was not clear who to vote for: “I will decide now that I mark.”
Like many of his fellow citizens, he confessed with a smile that he does not like any candidate because “they are all corrupt.”
Lack of interest in elections
The electoral campaign has not generated much interest in recent weeks in a country where citizens are feeling fed up with politics.
For the Mayor of Limawhere a third of Peruvians live, the latest polls left very close results between the candidates vying for the position.
Businessman Rafael López Aliaga, from the ultra-conservative Renovación Popular party, and also a retired right-wing general from thes Armed Forces, Daniel Urresti, are the favorites, although ex-soccer player George Forsyth, from Somos Perú, a center-right, has increased his support in recent days.
But more than the ideology or concrete proposals, the majority of citizens have decided their vote by the past and trajectory of the candidates.
For example, Anki, a young man who was about to vote at a school in the wealthy district of San Isidro, explained to Efe that he decided on “Porky” (nickname with which López Aliaga is known).
“I see him as a more secure person compared to the others because he already has experience in financing and business issues,” he said.
Geraldine, just after depositing the ballot, did not say who she had voted for, but said that she chose her candidate because it seemed to her “that it made sense because of how this person’s career had gone” and also stressed that this person had no record, since that most had.